Digimon Tamers: The Next Level
by Buretsu
Summary: Seven years after Season 3, the Tamers face a new threat after reuniting with their partners. TakatoJeri, RikaRenamon, KentaAlice New Chapter! Jan 19, 2006
1. Episode 1: The Shadow of Memory

"It's not you, it's me," the girl with the long orange hair said.

"Not that old line!" the boy sitting in front of her said. "There's someone else, isn't there?"

"No, there's nobody else, there hasn't been anyone for a long time," the girl explained.

"Fine!" the boy raged, "I've been dumped by better girls than you, Rika Nonaka!"

With that, he got to his feet, throwing the chair back, and stormed out of the restaurant. Several patrons looked over for a second before returning to their meals.

"Anything else I can get you, ma'am?" the waiter asked Rika, placing the check on the table.

"Not unless you can turn back time," she muttered.

"Excuse me?"

"Never mind," Rika said, shaking her head. "No, that'll be all. Thank you."

The waiter nodded, moving on to take the drink order from another table. Rika slowly got up, leaving a couple of bills for the tip. Moving over to the cashier, she handed over some money, and walked out the door.

It was night outside as Rika walked through the streets, tears at the corners of her light purple eyes. She walked for hours, finding herself back at the park that had played such an important part in her life those many years ago.

The memories came flooding back. Seven years ago, she had met that little kid in the park, never knowing that the mostly chance encounter would change her life so drastically. It was only the start of a great adventure, one that had made her realize there were people out there who really cared about her. That was a long time ago, and the world had since then tried to forget about the Devas, that Digimon were anything more than an old children's game, long past its time. Rika herself could never forget. Nor did she wish to, despite the pain such memories brought.

Rika paused in her walk home, spotting the moon rising over the old tool shed that had once served as a hideout. She made her way over to the gate, finding the door secured with a thick lock. Pulling put one of her hairpins; she inserted it into the keyhole. After a bit of wriggling and prodding, the lock flew open as it had many times before.

Opening the gate, she stepped inside, finding a large hole in the floor that descended a couple of feet underground. Ignoring the fact that she was all dressed up for her date, she dropped down into the pit. The tunnel underneath the shed was still there, the city had decided the lock was enough to keep most people out, and that there was no need to fill it in. Pulling a lighter from her purse, she flicked it open and started to crawl down the tunnel. She held the flame in front of her, searching for the familiar strange light. It still refused to show up, just as it had refused the seemingly million other times she had tried. She left the tool shed behind her, another dead-end.

A half-hour later, Rika opened the door leading inside the house where she lived alone with her grandmother. Ever since her mom had left to be a fashion model in Tokyo, it was just the two of them.

"Rika, honey? Is that you?" her grandmother said from inside.

"Yeah, grandma, I'm home. I'm going to be in the courtyard," Rika called, walking through the house towards the koi pond. She looked out over the garden, the place where everything had changed forever. A part of her wished it had never happened, it would have spared her years of pain. A second part held tightly onto the memory, cherishing it forever.

"Don't you want to talk?" her grandmother called to her.

"Not really," Rika called back, sitting down to stare into the calm water. She picked up a pebble from the ground beside her and tossed it in, sending ripples through the water. The moonlight reflected off the surface, moving along with the slight waves. For a split second, Rika thought she saw a shadow in front of the moon.

"Is that…" she started, turning to look at the roof of the house. Once again, there was nothing there. "No, my eyes are just playing tricks on me."

Rika took off her shoes, grateful to be out of the tight fitting pumps. She dipped her feet in the pond, wriggling her toes in the cold water. A tear dropped from her eye, the ripples from it clashing with those from her feet. She buried her head in her hands as more tears came unbidden. Soon she was sobbing uncontrollably as the painful memories came rushing back.

A warm hand on her shoulder broke her out of the crying spell. Rika's eyes widened, and she reached her own hand up, placing it on top. She sighed and looked up into her grandmother's face.

"We need to talk. You're keeping too much bottled up inside, honey. Something's bothering you. Did your date not go well?" Rika's grandma asked, worried about her daughter.

"About as well as the last ten," she answered with a sniff. Her grandmother sighed.

"That badly, huh? What was wrong with this one? Too friendly? Too cute?"

"No," Rika said, "it's just that… something was missing."

"Rika, I've supported you ever since you were old enough to go on dates. I supported all of your dating choices, whether they were male or female, it didn't matter to me. I just wanted to see you happy, but nothing I did helped. What more can I do?"

"Nothing, there's nothing anybody can do. Just leave me alone, alright?" Rika snapped, shoving away her grandmother's hand and standing up in anger. Her grandmother looked into her eyes, seeing more pain than fury. She backed off, and Rika calmed down, tears starting to stream down her face again.

"If that's what you really want, honey, I'll support you in that too. Just remember, I'll always be here if you want to talk." Her grandmother walked away, leaving Rika to cry in silence.

Later that night, Rika lay under the covers tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Something felt different, there was a definite change in the air, she just couldn't tell what. Suddenly, the silence of the night was disturbed by an odd sound coming from her closet. Curiously, Rika got up from her mattress, pulling her blanket close around her body, and made her way over towards the noise. Sliding open the closet doors, she felt around in the darkness for the loose board that covered the hidden cubbyhole where she kept her most prized possessions. Removing the board, she pulled out a beautifully carved wooden box, the only remnant she had of her father, aside from some random memories. It had been his once, so her grandmother had told her. One finger pressed half of the secret latch, and another one pressed the other half on the opposite side, and the box sprung open.

Rika pulled something out of it, removing it from the handkerchief it was wrapped inside. It was a figurine in the shape of a fox, standing upright, tall and statuesque with a thick, bushy tail. Most of it was painted a golden yellow, but its chest, lower legs and the tips of its ears and tail were white, and its arms were covered in long purple gloves. Rika softly kissed the side of its muzzle, yet another tradition she had, before wrapping it back up and setting it aside. A silver locket came out next, and she snapped it open. A lock of golden hair was still sealed inside. Rika closed the necklace again, setting it next to the figurine. The beeping sounds continued, louder than before.

The box now seemed empty to the unknowing eye, but Rika levered a finger, lifting up the false bottom. From the real bottom of the box, she pulled out the source of the beeping. It was a small silver device, not much larger than the palm of her hand. The LCD screen on front of it was ringed with blue. The whole thing hung from a similarly blue strap, and it had two blue buttons on its face. A bright light lit up the screen, and the device continually beeped. Rika pressed one of the buttons, and a compass popped up, a red arrow circling around the screen.

"That's… not possible," she gasped. "Something's setting it off, but there's nothing that could cause that."

The arrow continued circling around the screen for a couple of seconds before stopping, pointing off to the northwest. Rika looked off in the direction it pointed, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. The device still beeped, but it was gradually drowned out by the sound of sirens, both police and fire engines. The sounds seemed to be heading northwest. Rika nodded to herself, placing everything carefully back into the box, save the strange device. She snapped the lid shut, placing the box back in the hole and covering it with the board. Next, she pulled some clothes out of the closet, slipping on a pair of black pants and a dark blue shirt. Then came her familiar brown trench coat, and she topped everything off by clipping the device to her belt. Tiptoeing past her grandmother's room, she sneaked out of the house into the garage. She briefly considered taking the car, but she knew her grandma would be furious. Instead, she got onto her bicycle and rode off into the night, following the odd signal.

The sirens got steadily louder, and it soon became obvious what was causing the disturbance. Still, Rika couldn't believe her eyes, it was a total impossibility. A large monster, looking like some sort of gigantic red Tyrannosaurus Rex, was walking through the city, occasionally breathing massive gouts of flame from its mouth. Several fires were blazing already, fire trucks pumping gallons of water trying to put them out. A number of buildings had been reduced to piles of rubble. A SWAT team van pulled up, and police piled out of it, firing their heavy weapons at the creature. The bullets bounced off its hard skin and the monster continued as if nothing had happened. It reacted sharply when a flash of yellow passed in front of the thing's snout and its head snapped to one side. The flash came again, plowing into the creature's side. It stumbled to one side and fell over, crushing another house.

Rika pedaled as hard as she could towards the fallen creature, trying to find out what the yellow flash had been. For a second, hope bloomed once again in her heart. The giant red monster could only be one thing, a Tyrannomon, a digimon. But that couldn't be. Three years after the final battle with D-Reaper, it was decided that all of the portals to the digital world had to be sealed off to protect both worlds from each other. All the digimon were safely in the digital world, and all the humans were securely in the real world, with only one exception. Takato was unable to be separated for Guilmon for very long, so he had to stay in the digital world with his digimon, or slowly wither and die. Rika had thought that part of her life was over, but now this Tyrannomon had shown up. If one of them could get through, then maybe…

"Stop right there, young lady!" someone called to Rika. A police officer stood in front of her, barring her way to the beast. "It's not safe to be here. You really should go home."

"Get out of my way!" she yelled, shoving the surprised man aside and running ahead. The sky suddenly shone bright, and Rika looked up to see the normal stars joined by a horde of twinkling lights. The lights flew, leaving bright streaks in the air, towards the fallen form of the beast, covering its body. Suddenly, the flares exploded outward and the Tyrannomon burst into particles. Collective gasps sounded from all the people watching the bizarre event save one. Rika stood there in silence. Her eyes and mouth were wide open as she watched the particles slowly fade into nothingness. She silently mouthed a word before running to where the Tyrannomon had once been. A ring of police officers were standing around a massive crater, guns all trained on the center of the hole. As Rika got up a few feet away, the flash of yellow streaked into the sky from the bottom of the pit and abruptly vanished.

A hand grabbed Rika's arm, and she turned to see who it was. The police officer she had shoved down earlier had a tight hold on her.

"You're going to come with me," he said. "I'm going to escort you home." Rika sighed and nodded, reluctantly allowing the officer to take her to the police car. They picked up her bike and drove up to her house. Rika in tow, the officer knocked on the door, and Rumiko answered the door in her bathrobe.

"Sorry to disturb you so late in the night, ma'am," the officer said, bowing deeply. "But I found this young lady wandering around where she shouldn't have been."

"Don't worry officer," her grandmother said, scowling. "I'll handle this from here."

The officer bowed one more time and headed back to his car. Rika watched as he drove off before stepping back into the house. Closing the door behind Rika, her grandmother put her hands on her hips and glared at Rika.

"Young lady, I don't know what you were thinking going out there, but…" she began, cutting off when she saw the look in Rika's eyes. She saw a spark there that had been missing for the past few years. "That's what you were thinking."

Rika nodded, and her grandmother closed her eyes in thought. She sighed softly and nodded back.

Rumiko said but one word, "Go." Rika bent forward and kissed her on the cheek, running out the door. Her grandmother watched her go, smiling to see the spark in her grandchild's eyes. She only hoped that it would remain after tonight. She had a strange feeling that she was going to be seeing a lot of it though.

Rika rode the bike back towards the park, deep in thought. If she was right, there was no better place to go. Rika pushed her legs to the max, going full speed and risking a nasty crash in the darkness, but she didn't care. She wanted to get there as fast as possible. A few minutes later, she arrived at her destination, the park where so many things had happened. Setting down her bike, Rika ran towards the tool shed, a place where they had met many times in the past. A black shadow briefly appeared on top of the structure, but it faded away before Rika could get too close to it.

"It's you, isn't it?" Rika called to the night air. She took a deep breath to settle her nerves before continuing. "I'd recognize you anywhere, my heart knows you. Listen to yours and please, tell me you remember who I am."

A shadow appeared in the doorway to the shed. "Rika?" it said tentatively, stepping out towards the light. "Can it really be you?"

The shadow fully emerged from the doorway, its body illuminated by the full silver moon. It was tall, slender, and statuesque, its short hair shining golden in the moonlight.

"Renamon…" Rika whispered, fainting dead away.


	2. Episode 2: Memories of a Time Long Ago

Rika's eyes fluttered open, and she found herself staring at the ceiling in her room. She raised her head and saw the full moon through the window. Dropping her head back onto the pillow, she cursed softly. Had she dreamed the whole night's events?

"You really shouldn't curse all the time, Heartbreaker," a voice from the corner of the room said. "Makes you sound like a sailor."

Rika froze at the sound of her old nickname, her eyes wide open. Only one other soul knew that pet name, which meant…

"If this is a dream," she said, "let it be one I'll never wake from. Renamon…"

The fox digimon in question sat down beside Rika, laying her head on Rika's chest. Rika stroked Renamon's cheek with one hand, noticing silver streaking the gold fur. The fox digimon noticed Rika's attentions and smiled.

"Time changes all things," she explained, "Digimon included. I was afraid you had forgotten about me."

Rika sat up, locking her fingers behind Renamon's neck, pulling her in closer. Renamon tilted her head, and they kissed longingly, lovingly.

"I could never forget you," Rika said, nuzzling Renamon's cheek with hers, feeling the soft warm fur. "You are my other half, my soulmate, and the soul never forgets true love."

"Ahh, Rika," Renamon sighed happily, "you always were the romantic type."

"Shhh!" Rika joked, laying a finger over her lover's mouth. "I don't want that to spread. Whatever will people think?"

"Let them think what they will," Renamon breathed, trailing a claw through Rika's shoulder length hair. "That's just one of the many reasons I love you so. You don't let others thoughts control you."

"Oh, Renamon," Rika said wistfully, "I was deathly afraid that I'd never see you again."

"I feared the same thing," Renamon told her, "Every night I prayed that you would survive until I returned. I continually wished that you would be able to move on with your life, yet I always hoped you wouldn't moved too far."

"These past years have been a personal hell for me," Rika admitted, wrapping her arms around Renamon's shoulders. "Nothing I could do could fill the void in my heart, no human was able to give me what I desperately needed. You."

Renamon pulled aside the blanket, lying down under it next to Rika. They pressed their bodies together, Renamon's silky fur on Rika's nightgown, sharing the warmth they had missed the past few years.

"Now I'm back, and I don't plan to ever leave again," Renamon whispered, blowing gently into Rika's ear. Their mouths met again in a passionate kiss before they began exploring the changes that both of their bodies had gone through.

Rumiko stood just outside the door to her granddaughter's room, listening to the conversation being carried on inside. When it was clear that the time for talking was over, she walked back through the house to her own room. The grandchild she had known and loved several years ago was back, and she couldn't be happier for her.

Rika woke up still intertwined with Renamon, the digimon's fluffy tail wrapped around Rika's bare hips. The sun was just coming up, its light pooling on the floor. A ray of sunlight struck Renamon's fur causing it to shine brilliant gold. Renamon stirred, looking into her lover's eyes.

"I've missed you so much," she said, kissing Rika's neck.

Rika smiled happily, letting out a soft sigh.

"You don't know how much I've missed you," she responded. "What have you been doing all this time? What was up with that Tyrannomon? How did either of you get here?"

"So many questions," Renamon said smiling, "but I'll try to answer them all. After the gates were sealed, I spent the following year mired in an endless depression. Thinking me easy prey, I was attacked by many wild digimon. I fought tooth and nail just to survive. I grew strong, stronger than ever before, but my depression grew deeper.

"As it always has been in the digital world, no matter how strong you think you are, there's always someone out there stronger. That someone found me. Try as I might, I couldn't win. I could feel my chances of returning to you slip away. I would have died, had it not been for a passing Shurimon. He took me in, nursed me back to health. For a while, I found a measure of happiness with him. He was kind and gentle, a rare find in such a cruel world. Unfortunately, those aren't desirable survival traits.

"One day, a Musyamon challenged me to a battle, hoping to prove his might. I was still weak, so Shurimon took my place. He held out for quite a while, but Musyamon's strength was too great. Before my eyes, Shurimon was killed and absorbed. I was too weak to attack, and I could only watch as the Musyamon took all the food and water, leaving me to die. Once again, I traveled alone through the desert, emaciated and dehydrated. Eventually, I stumbled upon a large city."

"A city?" Rika asked. "In the digital world?"

Renamon nodded. "Yes, it was truly a wondrous sight to behold. It was the first city built there, and it was founded by someone we're both quite familiar with."

"Who?" Rika wondered, trying to figure out whom Renamon could be talking about.

"Takato," Renamon answered, watching Rika's eyes widen. "Apparently, he's made quite a name for himself in the digital world. He founded the city to allow those digimon with the desire to live in peace do so. I collapsed in the Town Square, and awoke to find myself in a soft bed in Takato's estate."

"Goggle-head has an estate?"

Renamon chuckled at Rika's old nickname for Takato. Some things never change. "He's quite popular over there. There were plenty of digimon willing to help out in exchange for his protection. It's almost as if it were just yesterday. I remember, Takato was sitting next to the bed…"

"You all right, Renamon?" he asked, smiling. I tried to get up, but I was too weak to move.

"Don't worry," he told me, "you're safe here. I guarantee it. God, it's been a long time since everything happened. I wasn't totally sure you'd still be alive."

Just then there was a knocking on the door and Takato went to open it.

"Is she all right, Takato? I hope she's going to make it," a familiar twangy voice said.

"Guilmon," I managed to say, and the little red lizard beamed happily.

"Don't worry, Guilmon," Takato said, reassuring his old friend. "She's going to be as good as new in a couple of days."

"Physically, maybe," I said with a sigh. "Mentally, I don't know."

"You miss her, don't you?" Takato asked, smiling knowingly. "Rika, I mean."

"Of course, she was my best friend."

Takato shook his head softly. He chuckled, a surprisingly deep tone. "No, I know it's more than that."

Guilmon looked up at him quizzically, and Takato patted him on the head.

"I don't know what you mean," I told him. Takato only chuckled once more.

"Oh come on," he gently chided, "you two always did underestimate me. I saw much more than you gave me credit for. It wasn't that hard to notice the looks you two tended to give each other. I'd been given similar ones. But, I digress." He waved his hand idly. "No sense dredging up too many old memories. You're welcome to stay here as long as you need."

"Thank you, Takato," I said, taking hold of his hand, "but I can't impose. I really ought to repay you."

"Well," Takato said, his brow furrowed in thought. His eyes lit up and he grinned. "There is one thing I have in mind that you should be perfect for, but that can wait until you feel better. Come on, Guilmon, let's let our honored guest get some rest."

He patted my hand and turned, leaving the room. I lay my head down on the pillow, wondering what he had in mind for me. He'd really matured in the past years. Being 13 and without any other humans around in a strange world tended to force one to grow up quickly. I gave up on thinking and let my exhaustion take over, falling into a heavy sleep.

When I woke up, it appeared to be only the next morning. I got out of bed, stretching my muscles, feeling sore all over. I took a walk around the house, marveling at what Takato had accomplished. Soon, I came across a beautiful garden and found Takato staring into a pool of water. Spotting me, he stood up and smiled warmly.

"Good, you're up. Took you a couple of days though."

"How long was I asleep?" I asked wearily.

"Just two days. You're a fast healer it looks like. Feeling better?"

I nodded, feeling a couple cricks in my neck pop.

"I'll survive. Now, you wanted to tell me what I could do to pay you back?"

"This city," Takato told me, standing up and encompassing the entire area with his arms, "is founded in peace. I planned for this place to be a refuge from the endless battles one faced living in the wild. It turned into a huge success in the process. Unfortunately, some digimon simply weren't satisfied with this. They try to bring their fights into the town, stealing what they want, terrorizing the populace. The majority of those who came to live here did so because they weren't strong enough to survive for long alone, and thus we don't have many powerful defenders. Gallantmon can't take care of everyone himself. That and I swear this city would fall apart without me. That's where you come in. I need you to track some criminals down for me, arrest them if possible, dispose of them if necessary."

I closed my eyes, thinking about his offer. The thought of more battle, I admit, thrilled me a little. "Dangerous work," I said. "And if I'm not strong enough to defeat them on my own? What then?"

"Ahh, then we bring in the trump card," Takato said, chuckling at some joke I didn't get. "Come on, I have a present for you, one that will help should you take my offer."

Takato got up, and beckoned towards a set of double doors. I nodded and followed him towards them. He pressed a few buttons on a keypad next to the door and I heard a loud click. Pulling open the doors, I caught a glimpse of a vast room at the end of the long hallway. Takato instead led me down a short hallway off of the main one, pausing at a safe in the wall. Entering the combination, he opened the safe and pulled out a strange device. It was a blue wristband with a strange device in the center.

"This," Takato said, holding up the thing, "I call the D-Band. It's still in the experimental stage, but its technology was derived from my own D-Power, so it should work."

"What does it do?" I asked. And why would it use technology from a digivice?

"Hold out your left arm," he ordered me. Not knowing what else to do, I complied, and he strapped the bizarre thing to my wrist over my glove. It looked like a vastly oversized wristwatch with a large rectangular screen and a slot at the top.

"Now, take this," Takato said, placing something else into my right hand. It was an old Hyper Speed card. Odd. "And slash it through the slot."

I shrugged my shoulders and did what he said, pulling the card through. The screen flashed three times, and something weird happened. I could feel a tremendous rush of energy flowing through my body, focusing in my legs and arms.

"Tankmon!" Takato called out, and a door lifted open revealing said digimon. "Machine Gun Arms!"

The Tankmon pointed its twin machine guns directly at me. As I started to hear the guns fire, I quickly circled around to dodge. In less than the blink of an eye, I was behind the Tankmon. A sharp kick to the back of its head sent the machine crashing to the ground. Strangely enough, it stayed down.

"What was that about?" I sneered, turning to face Takato. He quickly held up his hands.

"First of all, those were blanks. See?" he said gesturing to the wall. There was not a single blemish on it that hadn't been there already. "Second, in order to truly display the power of the D-Band, a situation as close as possible to a real fight was necessary."

I relaxed my guard, giving the Tankmon one final kick for good measure.

"A remarkable device, really," Takato said, grinning widely. "All the powers of the original D-Power, minus the need for a Tamer. And it'll be yours should you accept my offer."

"And if I don't?"

"Well, if you don't, you don't," he shrugged. "There's no way I'm gonna force you to leave, but if you feel you must pay me back, this is the best way. Now, I've only got a few cards, but they should be enough to take on most of the bounties that need collected."

"Where am I supposed to store these cards? It's not like I have pockets or anything."

"You see, that's part of the beauty of it," Takato said, the smile still plastered on his face. "The D-Band has a memory, albeit a limited one. It can store the data contained on three cards at a time and access them instantly, eliminating the need to carry them around."

"Only three? Not very versatile if you ask me."

"Well, of course you can also use any cards you are able to carry and slash them like normal. We're working on increasing the storage ability now."

"We?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Takato laughed nervously. "Uhh, that's a story for later," he waved away the thought. "Will you be my bounty hunter?" Takato asked simply.

"Looks like you got yourself a deal," I nodded, shaking his hand. It would give me something to do at least.

"Perfect. Now, tomorrow, if you're back to full health, I'll give you your first assignment."


	3. Episode 3: Hope Lives Again

"So that's what you've been doing all this time, hunting down rogue Digimon for Takato?" Rika said, summarizing the story.

"Not a day passed when I didn't think of you," Renamon said, taking Rika's hands in hers and looking deep into her eyes.

"I want to show you something," Rika said, rubbing the side of Renamon's face.  Renamon put her own hand over Rika's.

"I thought you already showed me plenty last night," she said, grinning slyly.

"This is something extra special," Rika replied, tapping Renamon's nose with a finger.  She stood up, crossed over to the closet and pulled out the carved box.  Opening it, Rika took out the figurine of the fox, still wrapped in the handkerchief, and handed it to Renamon.  She gently unwrapped it, and her eyes sparkled at the sight.

"Oh Rika," she breathed, "It's beautiful."

"Just like you," Rika told her, smiling fondly.  "I want you to have it."

"I feel like I should give you something in return."

"Having you back in my life is present enough," Rika said, kissing Renamon deeply.   Rika began to trail her hand down Renamon's belly, but Renamon lightly brushed Rika's face with her tail.

 "Rika, please," she said, "I really should finish the story."

"Oh, all right," Rika pouted playfully.  "I'll try to keep my hands off of you.  For a little while at least.  Do you still have this D-Band?"

It was Renamon's turn to get up.  She walked over to the table in Rika's room, and picked something up.  Lying next to Rika again, she handed the device over.

"It's a poor replacement for the original," Renamon said.  "But it served its purpose well."

Rika turned the thing over in her hands.

"Pretty cool," she said, "but how did Takato come up with it?"

"That what I was wondering.  I knew he was a bright kid, but I highly doubted he could come up with something so technical on his own.  I found out what was up about a year ago."

******

The past couple of years had passed rather well.  I faced some tough challenges in Takato's service, but I managed to overcome each time.  At first, a few of the bounties gave me trouble and I was forced to get rid of them.  But soon, word about me started to spread, and before long they were surrendering as soon as I showed up.  It kinda took the fun out of it.

Every once in a while Takato would produce a new card he 'found', a typical assortment of speed cards, power cards, etc.  The biggest gem was a Digivolution card a few months back.  It felt so good to be able to go to Champion once again.  Dashing across the open plains of the digital world as Kyubimon gave me an incredible rush of freedom.

One thing still bothered me though.  I couldn't figure out how he had managed to keep so many of his cards.

One day, it was about a year ago, I guess, when I was walking through the halls after completing my latest mission.  Takato came up to me, Guilmon by his side as usual.

"How's my best bounty hunter today?" Takato grinned.  "Here, I've got a little present for you." He placed something in my hand, and I looked at it.  I couldn't believe my eyes.  It was a Blue Card.

"Where did you get this???" I asked, stunned.

Takato smiled secretively.  "All in due time, I assure you.  For now, take the day off.  You deserve it."

With that, he walked off towards the garden.  I had a feeling something major was up, so I decided to follow him.  He stopped in front of the double doors in the courtyard, inputting the code.  The doors swung open, and I needed to know what was in there.  So, pressing a couple of buttons on the D-Band, I turned on Hyper Speed.  Running faster than ever with the power of the card, I managed to make it inside just as the doors were closing.  I hugged the wall, blending in with the shadows, and I was able to overhear Takato and Guilmon talking.

"Don't you think we should tell her?" the little lizard said.  "About the experiments?"

Takato shook his head.  "No, it's too early.  No sense getting her hopes up if the tests end up failing."

"I guess you're right," Guilmon said, ears drooping.  "But still…"

"Don't worry, Guilmon.  As soon as we have some definite answers, I'll tell her.  I promise.  Now, let's go see if our friend has come up with anything new."

They continued walking down the hallway, so I kept on following them.  Soon we came to a large metal door with another keypad.  Takato pressed several buttons and put his thumb against a plate.  The door clicked open and I tried to follow them inside.  As soon as I crossed the threshold, an alarm started to sound.  The lights in the hallway blazed to life, removing the shadows.  Shutters in the wall opened up and several Tankmon came out, all pointing their weapons at me.

"Damn, Renamon," Takato said, emerging from the room through the door. "Don't scare me like that.  You're lucky these guys have orders not to shoot on sight."

"What experiments?" I asked, trying to maintain a cool face.  "What are you keeping from me?  I think I deserve to know."

Takato put his head in his hands and sighed.  "If you heard what I think you did, then you already know why I haven't told you anything.  Troops, you may stand down.  I got this from here."

The Tankmon returned to their holes in the wall, shutters sliding back shut, lights returning to normal brightness.  I opened my mouth to speak, but Takato continued talking to me.

"I didn't want to bring your hopes up, only to have them come crashing back down if nothing works.  Neither one of us could handle that."

"If you know something, I want to know it too.  You mention hope, but its something I'm running out of."

Takato sighed deeply again and looked down at Guilmon.  The little red digimon smiled and Takato slowly nodded.

"Against all my better judgement, I guess I have no choice."

Takato sighed again and looked skyward, pleading, "Please don't let me regret this."

Back to me, he simply said, "This way."

He led me down several hallways, each with a locked door at the end.  He paused before one final massive door.

"Please remember," he said.  "Nothing you see or hear in here gets out, not a thing, not to anybody, understand?"

I nodded and he opened the door leading to a large laboratory.  He stepped through immediately, but I held back

"Takato," a familiar voice said, "what happened out there?  Someone else try to break in?"

I stepped out from the shadow of the doorway into the light, eyes opened in shock.

"So, I guess the 'Nobody but us' rule is gone?  We letting any old digimon in now?" the voice asked.

"Hey, Moumantai," I said shakily.

"It can't be, can it?" Terriermon, the owner of the voice, said.  "Renamon, is it really you?"

"In the data," I said, smiling fondly.  The smile disappeared when he spoke.

"Huh, I thought you'd be dead by now," Terriermon said simply.

I narrowed my eyes at him.  "Still as tactless as ever, I see."

Terriermon giggled  "Still no sense of humor, I see.  What have you been up to lately?"

Takato answered for me, "Meet the best bounty hunter in both worlds."

"Well, I don't know about all that," I said modestly.  "Uhh, ahem, as fun as reminiscing about old times is, I believe you were going to tell me what the heck is going on here??"

"Why tell when it is so much easier to show?  Is he standing by on the other end?"

Terriermon nodded.  "Ready, able, and more than willing," he reported.

"Do it."

Terriermon picked up a neatly folded piece of paper.  Walking over to a strange glass tube, he dropped it on the center of the platform on the bottom.  Next, Terriermon closed the tube and pressed a button.  In a flash of light, the paper abruptly disappeared.

"The heck?" I asked, puzzled.

"Just wait," Takato said with a hopeful smile on his face.  Another flash of light appeared in the tube.  "Go ahead, see what's there."

I shrugged, and walked over to the tube.  Looking inside, I spotted a box that hadn't been there before.  Picking it up, I walked back to Takato.

"Open it up," he said, beckoning towards the box.  I opened it and looked inside.

"Sushi?"  I said.  "Do I want to know what this is made out of?"

Takato picked up a pair of chopsticks from inside the box.  Selecting a chunk, he popped it into his mouth and chewed eagerly.  He smacked his lips, thinking.

"If I'm not mistaken, tuna," he said, pulling out a piece of paper.  He opened it up and scanned it quickly.  "Yup, it's tuna all right."

"Where did you get tuna in the digital world?"

"Well, in a couple of words, I didn't.  Hey, Terriermon?  Henry sends his regards," Takato said, grinning.

Catching the shocked look on my face, he said, "What, you think I came up with all this on my own?"

"How… is it possible?  Are you saying this came from the real world?  And that Henry sent it here?  I thought the seal prevented anything from getting through?"  Did this mean that there was a chance I could go back to the real world?

"So everyone thinks, so it was intended," Takato explained.  "What nobody but the four of us, five now, knew, is that Henry, while the gates were being sealed, worked to keep a hole open.  It wasn't large enough to let any people or Digimon through, but Henry found that small bits of matter could be sent through, paper mostly.  He sent the plans for all the technology you see here, including your D-Band.  He also cracked Shibumi's code, and was able to create and send Blue Cards."

I digested this new information for a couple of seconds.  "So what's up with the sushi?" I asked, popping a couple of the pieces into my mouth.  It was the first real food I'd had since leaving the real world.  It just made me miss it more.

"Over the past couple of years, the hole has been getting wider, allowing more and more things to be sent.  This was our first successful attempt at sending flesh and blood through the hole.  The next test is living flesh and blood.  Terriermon, give the go ahead."

Terriermon sent another piece of paper through the machine and stood back.  A minute passed, and a flash lit up the room.  I held my nose closed as a hideous stench emanated from the tube.

"Oh, man, what is that?" I asked, gagging from the stench.

"Was.  It's not anymore, but it was a mouse," Terriermon got out.

"Guess we need to improve the process, huh?" Takato grinned weakly.

******

"All this talk of sushi is reminding me that I'm starving," Rika said, stomach rumbling.  Renamon chuckled.

"Really?  I would have thought hearing about the mangled ex-mouse would put a stop to that," she said.

"You should know better by now.  I don't let anything get in the way of my hunger," Rika laughed.  She got up from under the blanket and went over to the closet.  "You know, if we're going to get some food, I really ought to put on some clothes."

"What's your rush?" Renamon grinned, coming up behind Rika.   Renamon placed her hands on Rika's hips and kissed her neck.  She then trailed the tip of her tail up the inside of Rika's leg, tracing a path up to her neck.

"Hey, hey, hey," Rika scolded after the sensation had passed.  "That's enough of that.  I need to eat something or I won't have enough energy for anything."

"We don't want that," Renamon agreed, breathing in the scent of Rika's hair.

"Precisely.  Now, would you mind giving me a little room?  I need to get dressed."

"I don't see why," Renamon said, obliging Rika by moving away.  "Why would you want to cover up such beauty?"

"Because, I don't want just anybody seeing it," Rika replied, pulling a pair of pants over her panties.  A shirt followed.  "Now, let's see about getting some food."

They left Rika's room and made their way to the kitchen, arm in arm, hands intertwined.  Rika's grandmother was already there, reading the paper.

"Look who's finally up," she smirked.  "Good morning, or should I say good afternoon?  I trust you slept well?  What sleep you got, I mean."

Rika and Renamon smiled at each other.  "I'm sure you remember Renamon, grandma," Rika said.

Renamon bowed respectfully.  "It has been a long time.  I am honored to be welcome in your house once more."

"Ahh, as respectful as ever.  Come, there's no need to stand on ceremony.  For the first time in several years, my granddaughter is happy, and I have you to thank.  I imagine you two are hungry."

At their nods, Rumiko stood up and brought three plates heaped with eggs.  They bowed their heads, and Renamon said the blessing.  As they ate, they discussed everything that had been going on the past year.


	4. Episode 4: Realization

The tests had been going steadily better.  They were getting to the point where the mouse's corpse was fully in one piece.  Eventually, about three weeks ago, Takato asked me to come to the lab, and showed me their latest breakthrough.  He held up a box, grinning widely.  I took it and opened it up; it held several white mice, alive and kicking.

"Does this mean what I think it means?" I asked expectantly.

"Well, right now it means that we can have all the mice in the digital world that we want.  Henry's working on the amount of mass that can be transferred.  The next step is sending flesh and blood the other way.  Don't worry," Takato said, placing his hand on my shoulder.  "If everything goes according to plan, we should be able to send digimon through the gate shortly.  I promise, you'll be the first one we send once it's working."

Sure enough, a couple of weeks later, Takato told me he had good news.  I sprinted towards the lab as fast as I could.  I was about a quarter of the way there when the alarms started going off.  Loud noises could be heard coming from the garden, along with gunfire.  Rushing in, I saw a team of Ninjamon battling the Tankmon guards.  Several guards were already down, Ninjamon on top of them, slashing with their swords.  I rushed to join the battle.

I fired off a Diamond Storm into the battle, pelting most of the Ninjamon.  Many others managed to block the attacks with their swords, but the ones who hadn't burst into data.  The squad of Ninjamon rushed in to attack, swords flying in blurs.  It took all of my speed and skill to avoid the strikes.  I leapt free of the melee, arm held in front of me.  I pulled a card out from my glove, slashing it through the D-Band, once again feeling the now familiar rush of energy spreading throughout my body.  My speed increased by the card, I joined the fight again.  Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as I tore through the enemy ranks.  Some fell to my claws; others fell to their own swords as I took them from their grips.  Within seconds, the courtyard was clear, save the few surviving guards.  I rushed to the lab, finding it in shambles.  As I entered, a Ninjamon threw down a smoke bomb, disappearing.  Looking around, I saw Takato lying on the floor, unmoving.  I crouched over him, thankfully finding a pulse, though it was weak.  He was bleeding from a gash on his right side, no doubt a Ninjamon's blade.  The sound of a door opening caught my attention and I looked over to see Terriermon coming out of a hidden room.

"Is he all right?" he asked, worried about Takato.

"He's lost a lot of blood," I said, "but he should survive."  I ripped a chunk of cloth from his shirt and used it to staunch the flow of blood.  Takato opened his eyes and started to talk.

"They took it," he said weakly.  "The prototype Realizer.  If they figure out how to use it…" Takato groaned and fell unconscious.

"What's a realizer?" I asked.

"It's a device to allow Digimon to transport to the Real World," Terriermon explained.  "We had just finished the preliminary tests when we sent for you.  It was then that they attacked.  They must have had a spy on the inside."

"If they figure out how to use it…?"

"Then they'll be able to cause serious damage in the real world.  But!  The plans are still safely at Henry's house.  We can get him to build another in no time."

"He'd better hurry, there's no telling how much damage even one Digimon could do.  I'd better take Takato to the infirmary."

Takato recovered and was soon back on his feet.  For me, things didn't go as well.  The next three weeks were pure torture.  Knowing just how close I was coming to be able to go back to the Real World was unbearable.  When the day came that I was asked back to the lab, I raced over there as fast as Hyper Speed could take me.

"This," Takato said, handing me a card, "is the Realizer V2."

"V2?" I asked.

"V2.  V1 was an actual device.  We've been using the past couple of weeks to improve the design," Takato said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I'm going to refrain from tearing you to bits simply because you have something I want." I sneered, angry that I might have been able to leave sooner.

"Umm, right, thanks," he said, snickering nervously.  "Well, all you have to do is slash the card and then concentrate on a site in the Real World that you now really well.  If you try to go somewhere you don't know, you're in danger of ending up inside a tree or underground."

An alarm sounded in the lab, and I perked to attention.

"Takato!" Terriermon called, "We've got a signal!"

"What does that mean?" I asked them.

"Someone's activated V1.  There's no time to lose!"

"Right!"  I said, readying the Realizer card.  "How do I get back?"

"Deactivate the effect on your D-Band."

I nodded, putting the card at the start of the slot.  Slashing it through the D-Band, I concentrated on the place in the Real World that meant the most to me.

******

"It was then that I saw you again for the first time.  I saw that you noticed me, and I fled, in case you had moved on.  If you had, I didn't want to dredge up old memories," Renamon finished.

"That was… in the courtyard?" Rika asked, voice hushed.

"Yes, by the pond," Renamon nodded.

Rika's grandmother looked confused.  "What am I missing here?   What about the courtyard?"

Holding Rika's hands and gazing deep into her eyes, Renamon breathed, "That was where we spent what we thought was our last night together."

Their mouths met in another passionate kiss, and Rika's grandmother smiled.

"Ahh, young love," she said fondly.  "Almost makes me wish I was eighteen once again."

Rika and Renamon separated and returned to eating, blushing bright red.  Rika's grandma chuckled.

"So, what's the next step?" she asked.

"The next step," Renamon said, "is to find out where the V1 went and get it back.  My instincts are telling me two things.  First, the raid on the lab is telling me that we're dealing with a highly organized and likely powerful group.  Second, it's telling me that the Tyrannomon last night was a test to see if it really works.  With any luck, they'll assume the test was a failure and continue tinkering with it.  We've bought some time, and we need to use that to build our strength."

"So, we need to look up some old friends?" Rika asked.  Renamon nodded in agreement.  They finished their breakfast and helped clear the table.

"Yes, we need to split up for now.  I'll round up the old partner digimon, while you try to contact all our Tamer friends, starting with Henry.  He's the only one who we know for sure still has their partner."

Rika nodded slowly.  "Just, be careful, okay?" she said, as she grabbed Renamon's hand as she started to leave.  "I couldn't take losing you again."

Renamon brought Rika's hands to her cheek, nuzzling them softly.

"I will, because now I know I have something to return to.  I love you, Rika," she said, pressing a button on the D-Band.  She began to fade out.

"I love you too," Rika said, watching Renamon's outline fade.  She felt her grandmother's hand on her shoulder and patted it fondly.

"Don't worry honey, I have no doubt she will be back.  Now, go round up your friends."

Rika smiled and went off to her room to get her address book.  There were a ton of numbers in it; most of them had thick black lines through them.  They were all mementos of failed dates.  She ripped out page after page of nothing but blacked-out numbers, and soon there were only 3 pages left.  One of them had Henry's apartment address on it.  Borrowing the car, she drove over to his building and knocked on the door.

A young girl, not much older than Rika had been when everything had started seven years ago, answered the door.

"Yes?"

"Hello Susie," Rika smiled, greeting Henry's younger sister.  "Is Henry here?"

"Henry!" Susie called.  "Your girlfriend's here!"

"Can it, Susie," Henry said, stepping out of his room.  "Is that you, Rika?"

"It's been a while," Rika smiled.

"Yeah, I haven't seen you since, well…"

"Since I dropped out of school, right.  Listen, is there somewhere we can talk?  Alone?"

Susie snickered behind Henry.  "Told you she was your girlfriend."

Henry rolled his eyes.  She was as bad as Terriermon had been.  "Umm, okay, my room?"

Rika nodded and Henry led the way to his room.

"Now," he said, shutting the door.  "You wanted to talk?"

Rika answered by pulling Henry in close in a large hug, crying into his shoulder.

"Oh, Henry, thank you so much," she sobbed, "it worked, I can't believe it but it worked.  I thought I'd never see her again, but then she... and you... you... I can't thank you enough, Henry…"

"Woah, woah, woah!" Henry protested, holding Rika at arm's length.  "Back the truck up!  What worked?  See who again?  What did I do?"

"It worked, oh god, it worked.  The Realizer, it worked!  After all this time, she's back, Renamon's really back!  I've never been so happy, and I owe it all to you!"

"The Realizer worked?  That explains the reports of the exploding dinosaur.  You said Renamon's back?"

Rika nodded, rubbing the traces of tears from her eyes.  She took a deep breath, and all of a sudden her face had returned to its usual calm mask.  Her eyes still sparkled though.

"It worked.  It really worked.  I knew it would work.  I just have to make some more.  Get everybody back, all the partners.  Hope it works on Takato too.  Only one way to find out," Henry said, hunching over his workbench.

"It's going to be great to get the whole gang back together again," Rika said, one eyebrow raised at Henry's eccentricity.

Henry nodded in agreement.  "It's been far too long.  I only wish there were better circumstances surrounding it."

"We've defended the world against things a thousand times tougher than a Tyrannomon," Rika told him.  "This… shouldn't be too much of a problem."

"That's what we thought about all those Wild Ones those many years ago," Henry countered.

"And then the Devas showed up," Rika conceded.  She went on, countering Henry's point. "We dealt with them easily enough after some practice."

"And then Beelzemon showed up," Henry continued relentlessly.  "And after him, Zhuqiaomon.  After him, D-Reaper and all its extensions and forms."

"I get it, I get it," Rika huffed.  "'Hope for the best, prepare for the worst,' and all that.  The question is, what if we can't find the old partner Digimon?"

"Partners or no," Henry said, "we pretty much know for sure that Takato's coming back.  That's reason enough to let everyone know."

"Well," Rika said softly, "What are we going to do about 'her'?"

"Hmm?" Henry asked, raising his head.  "Ohhhh, 'her'."  Jeri, the only one they knew for sure didn't have a partner in the Digital World.  "Well, she has a right to see Takato again more than any of us."

"And when she sees the other Tamers reunite with their partners?"

"She's moved on, came to terms with everything that happened with Leomon.  She and Takato…"

Rika sighed resignedly.  "You're right, but let's let Takato have the final say."

"Agreed.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some work to do," Henry said, idly waving a hand towards the door.  Rika scowled, but she didn't argue.

"Can you imagine the looks on everybody's faces when they see Takato again?" Rika asked as she turned to leave.

"Should be quite… interesting," Henry said.


	5. Episode 5: The Shot Heard 'Round Shinjuk...

"So," Susie asked when Rika emerged from Henry's room,  "is Henry your boyfriend?"

 "Sorry kiddo," Rika told her.  "Haven't had a boyfriend in a while, and I don't plan on having another one."

"Ahhhh," Susie nodded.

Rika sighed.  "Kid's 14, and she's already jaded."

"It is the new millennium," Susie shrugged.

"Do me a favor?  Try not to grow up too fast," Rika said, walking out the door.  She had been forced to grow up to deal with the events of seven years ago, and it had been rather unpleasant.

******

Rika arrived home several hours later, Renamon standing up as she entered the room.  They kissed hello before reporting the days events.

"Henry's busy at work making more D-Bands," Rika told her lover.  "He should have another one ready for Takato.  Any luck on finding the old partners?"

"It's a big Digital World," Renamon replied, "but we did manage to find Guardromon.  He returned to that village of Gekomon, and has been protecting them.  They send shipments of supplies to the city every now and then."

"All the saké he could drink," Rika laughed.

"Among other things," Renamon chuckled.  "But, can you really blame him?"

"The only human around, no family, just me, my Partner, and the rest of the Digital World.  Doesn't sound that bad to me."

"Yes, but in this case it's just Takato and Guilmon."

"Point taken.  Any luck on Marine Angemon, Cyberdramon, or Beelzemon?"

"A rumor here, a bit of gossip there, and a little heresy to spice things up.  Nothing solid.  I'm assuming you had better luck with the Tamers?"

"We've all mostly lost track of each other since the split, but nobody really went too far.  The only trick will be getting everybody together."

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of the phone ringing.  Rika sighed, and picked up the receiver.

"Hello?  Ahh, Henry.  Right, be right over there," Rika said, replacing the set.  "It's time."

"Time?"

"Henry's finished with the second D-Band.  After three years, Takato's finally coming home," Rika smiled.  Though she wouldn't readily admit it, she missed the little goggle-head.  She owed him quite a bit.  Had she never met him, she would have likely never realized the truth about Renamon.

******

Rika held tightly in her arms, Renamon fairly flew across the power lines through the city, high above the vision of anybody on the ground.  They were headed toward the all-too-familiar park, and its easily recognizable shed.  Takato had selected it as the place in the Real World he knew best.  By the time the two had arrived, Henry was already there, and he greeted them warmly.

"Good to see both of you," he said, grinning widely.  "I know it's a little late, but welcome back to the Real World, Renamon."

Renamon wrapped Henry in a friendly embrace, kissing him politely on the cheek.  "Thank you so much for reuniting me with Rika."

"It was nothing, really," Henry blushed.  "You know, I always suspected there was something more between the two of you."

"Man," Rika said.  "It seems like everyone know about it but me."

"It's funny," Henry said, brow wrinkled in thought.  "I never really thought about whether humans and Digimon were 'compatible'.  Although I, uhh, suppose it wasn't as much of an issue under the circumstances."

Renamon cleared her throat, and Henry blushed deeper.  Rika chuckled under her breath as the air was suddenly filled with a fog-like mist.  "Is this a Digital Field?"

"Sure is," Renamon confirmed.  "He's bioemerging."

"He?"

"Me."

The digital field faded, and in its place stood none other than Takato, the biggest smile Rika had ever seen plastered on his face.

"Welcome home!" Henry grinned.  He and Takato clasped hands, exchanging one-armed hugs.  Rika scoffed at the typical macho act of greeting an old friend.

"Ohh, man," Takato said, "You have NO idea how good it feels to be back!"  He threw his head back, taking in a deep breath through his nose.  "That smell… I miss that smell!"

Rika and Renamon sniffed tentatively before wrinkling their noses.  "Dog manure and pesticides," Renamon reported.

"None of which exist in the Digital World.  That place is so clean, it's got no flavor to it.  I'll tell you one more thing that doesn't exist in the Digital World," Takato said, looking Rika up and down.

"Watch it there, goggle-head," Rika said, embracing her good friend.  "I'm spoken for."

Takato glanced over to Renamon, an amused grin splitting the fox's wide face.  He held Rika at arm's length.  "Hey, I just went three years without seeing another human being, let alone a young woman as good looking as you."

"You're not looking too bad yourself," Rika said with a raised eyebrow.  "You're not my type though."

"I never really pegged Renamon as your type," Takato told her.  "I do see what you see in her though."

"There's that question again," Henry said.  "Are humans and Digimon 'compatible'?"

Takato opened his mouth to speak, earning strange looks from Rika and Renamon, but he closed it again.  He coughed into his fist and tried again.  "I never really thought about that."

"That's not what some of Terriermon's letters said," Henry laughed.  "I, of course, didn't believe him."

"Of course.  Anyway, we could stand here joking around forever, but there are a few more people I'd like to say hello to," Takato said, placing a hand on his stomach.  "First though, I could really use some food."

"Well," Rika suggested, "that one sushi place is still open."

Takato threw his hands up.  "Anything but sushi!  I've had enough sushi to last a lifetime.  Is there any place with some good steak nearby?  I've got a craving for some fresh red meat."

Rika nodded, and, arm in arm, the three old friends walked towards a nearby restaurant, talking and laughing.  Renamon, as always, watched from high above, glad to see spirits so high.  She too had missed Takato.

******

"'You're probably wondering why I called you all here today,'" Kazu, still wearing his old visor, now looking a little beat up, mocked.  He stretched his neck, muscles sore from baseball practice.  "Haven't seen hide nor hair of Rika in years, and then out of the blue she gathers the old group together."

"Yeah," Kenta agreed, his old glasses replaced by contact lenses.  "I mean, it's nice to see everybody looking well and all, but this is bringing back some memories I don't particularly want."

"As long as it doesn't take too long," Jeri said with one leg draped over the arm of the chair she was sitting in.  She glanced at her watch.  "I'm supposed to meet my boyfriend in the park in an hour."

"Still slumming around with that football player?" Kazu asked with a smirk.  "I thought you would have dumped him for someone better by now."

"At least I've got somebody to dump," Jeri shot back.  "When was the last time you had a steady girlfriend?"

"Well, I just haven't found Ms. Right yet," Kazu protested.

"Ms. Right?  From what I've heard, you haven't even found Ms. Ball Park yet," Kenta added with a laugh.  Kazu shot him a dirty look, but Kenta ignored him.

"Maybe he's like Rika," Susie offered as she walked into the room, her brother by her side.  "You know…"

"I heard that about her," Kenta said, "Don't know if it's true though."

"That's because, quite frankly," Rika replied, entering the room, "it's none of your business."

"Hell, hell, the gang's all here," Kazu joked.

"About time," Kenta said.  "I've got to study for that test tomorrow."  Even though school was on break, Kenta was never far from books.

"Actually," Jeri disagreed, "Looks like the only person missing now is Ryo."

"He won't make it," Rika told everyone.  "He's off backpacking somewhere.  You know him, he hates to settle down."

"So, why are you gathering the old team together again?" Kenta asked.  "What's left of it at least."

"Well," Henry said, "There's one more member of the team that's not here."

"Don't even remind me," Jeri grumbled, getting up from her chair.  "I don't need this, and I don't know why you bothered gathering us all together."

"Actually, you're all here because I asked for it."

Jeri froze at the familiar voice, and the boys' jaws dropped simultaneously.

"There is no way," Kenta said, rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

"I must be dreaming," Kazu added.  "Or hallucinating."

Standing in the doorway to the room was none other than Takato.  Jeri slowly turned to face him, and he began to shakily grin.  She slowly walked over to Takato, eyes wide in shock.  "Takato…  I can't believe it, after all this time you're back…"

"Hi Jeri," Takato said, smiling nervously.  "Been a while, hasn't it?"

A gasp rose from everyone present as Jeri brought her hand across Takato's face.  The young man recoiled from the force, the physical pain not nearly as bad as the emotional.  Jeri rubbed her hand, stinging from the full hand slap she had just performed on Takato.


	6. Episode 6: Old Times, New Threats

A gasp rose from everyone present as Jeri brought her hand across Takato's face.  The young man recoiled from the force, the physical pain not nearly as bad as the emotional.  Jeri rubbed her hand, stinging from the full hand slap she had just performed on Takato.

"Damn!" Kazu gaped.  "I bet they heard that one a mile from here!"

"What the hell was that for?" Takato asked, rubbing the new bright red spot on his cheek.

"God, I can't believe I wasted an entire year of my life worrying about you!" Jeri cried out, turning her back on Takato.  "You could at least have the common courtesy not to look like you've spent the last three years at a resort!"

"Would it make you feel any better if I told you life has been sheer hell for me?" Takato answered.  "That the only thing keeping me going was the thought of going home some day?  Of seeing you again?"

"When you left," Jeri told Takato angrily, "I was sure that I'd never see you again.  It… it was Leomon all over again."

"Jeri, I…" Takato began hesitantly, but Jeri cut him off.

"Don't even bother, Takato.  Just… don't bother.  You walked out of my life once, and now it's my turn."

With that, Jeri turned her back on Takato and stalked quickly out of the room.  Takato seemed frozen in time for a few seconds before dashing after the girl.

"Jeri, wait!" he called, running out.  Back in the room, the silence was almost deafening until Kazu broke it.

"Well," he said, "that was certainly awkward."

"Boy, I'll say," Rika responded, shaking her head.  She wouldn't have expected Jeri to do something like that in the past.  But, then again, Jeri had never had it easy.  First her mother had died when she was a child, and then Leomon was killed seven years ago.  Then D-Reaper had manipulated and fed off of her negative energy, which had only made everything worse.  She had eventually been able to move on after being freed from D-Reaper by Takato, and she had even forgiven Leomon's killer, Beelzemon, but emotional scars like that stayed long after

"Well," Takato said once he had re-entered the room.  He had managed to keep himself calm and composed, as if it didn't really matter.  "Isn't anyone else going to say hello?"

"Screw hello!" Kazu said, rising to greet his friend from long ago.  Another typical manly half hug, Rika noted with a silent chuckle.  "How about how the hell are you even here?"  This was followed by a loud groan as Kenta gave Takato a rather less-than-manly hug.

"It's been forever!" Kenta exclaimed as Kazu put his hand over his eyes and shook his head.

"Now that's embarrassing," Suzie snickered.  "Maybe now we know why he hasn't had a date in forever."

"For your information, little missy," Kenta rallied once he had moved away from Takato, "I happen to have a date ton-" He cut himself off quickly but it was too late.

"I thought you said you were studying?" Kazu asked slyly.  Kenta blushed briefly and began to splutter.

"You dog!" Takato laughed.  "Who's your date?  Anyone I know?"

"Et tu?" Kenta groaned.  "Well, if you must know, I have another-"

"Another?"

"Yes, another date with, well, you remember Alice, don't you?"  Kenta said, turning his gaze down to the floor in embarrassment.

"Alice?"  Rika gaped.  "The Alice?  That girl dressed in black from seven years ago?"  If so, she was the one who showed up seven years ago with Dobermon during the fight with D-Reaper.  Dobermon had enabled the Tamers, including Ryo, to biomerge in the Real World.

"The very same," Kenta answered.  "Wouldn't you know it, she's in one of my classes this year.  We got to talking, and the subject of Digimon came up somehow."

"She still dress the same way?" Rika asked.

"Black as darkest midnight," Kenta answered, giving his voice a husky sound.  His voice normal again, he continued.  "Apparently, that's a big thing over in America.  That's where she's originally from, you know.  They call it 'gothic'."

"And you're into that too?" Kazu asked, to which Kenta nodded.  "I don't suppose you told her that your Digimon was a little, pink, ocean fairy whose attack involved spitting blue hearts?"

"Hey," Kenta shot back, "whose Digimon was a natural Mega and whose never went past Champion?"

"Low blow!"  Kazu raged.  "I'll have you know…"

As the two continued to argue back and forth, the others broke out laughing, Takato especially.  Kazu and Kenta still had their usual dynamic, even after all the years.  It was Henry who slowed down and stopped laughing first.  He rather pointedly cleared his throat, which brought the mood down considerably.  Takato's laughter subsided and he nodded at Henry.

"As good as this feels," Takato said loudly to be heard over the continuing argument.  Once everybody had settled down, and were back in their seats, he continued.  "I'm sure you're all probably wondering how and why I'm here."

"Well, yeah," Kenta said.  "Last I heard, you were stuck in the Digital World for good."

"Well, that was the intent," Takato answered.  "I was almost certain that I would never get to see any of this ever again.

"After all of the Digimon and I were securely in the Digital World, a barrier was put in place, the intent of its programming was to prevent any future contact.  This barrier was an extra powerful firewall, or what they called an 'icewall'.  Fortunately for us, this icewall was programmed by Shibumi."

"How is that fortunate?"

"Because," Henry answered, taking up the story, "the icewall that Shibumi programmed wasn't perfect.  Rather, it had a flaw in it, intentionally put into the code by Shibumi himself, a back door if you will.

"While this didn't allow the standard method of travel, portals between the two worlds were unavailable, it did allow the possibility.  During the past few years, we've been working on expanding that possibility.  Standing before you is the end result."

"Standing before you, and on my wrist," Takato said, holding up his right arm.  Strapped around it was a D-Band, red to match his old Digivice.  "This little baby is what made it possible for me to come back.  I call it the D-Band."

"A remarkable piece of equipment, I'm sure," a new voice from the entrance of the room said.  "And one that no doubt warrants further study."

Everybody turned to see a figure silhouetted in the doorway, clad in a dark black business suit and sunglasses.

"Yamaki!" Henry exclaimed with a surprised grimace.  "Damn!  If you're here, then that means Hypnos knows-"

"Hypnos," Yamaki replied, "knows little more than what I tell them."  He removed his sunglasses and tucked them into the breast pocket of his shirt.  "And I don't like to tell them very much."

At Henry's sigh of relief, Rika asked, "What am I missing?"

"Ever since the separation," Yamaki answered, "Hypnos has been carefully monitoring the seal, watching for any anomalies and keeping an ear out for information.  Luckily, I was able to squelch any reports of the strange fog in the park earlier today, no doubt your friend Mr. Matsuki reappearing, but I'm afraid the same wasn't possible with the incident last night."

"What incident last night?" Kazu asked.  "Does this have anything to do with the military test gone awry?"

"Military test," Yamaki laughed briefly.  "A pathetic cover story at best.  Here, meet your 'military test'."  Yamaki pulled a small slip of cardboard from his pocket and sent it spiraling to Kazu.  He grabbed it out of the air and looked at it: it was an old Tyrannomon card.

"You're kidding me!" Kazu exclaimed, handing the card over to Kenta.  He had a similar reaction, shock and disbelief.

"I'm afraid not.  Last night, for the first time in three years, Digimon walked the streets of Shinjuku."

"But if all that damage was caused by a Digimon, what happened to it?"

"I believe Miss Nonaka can answer that one for you better than I can," Yamaki replied with a nod towards Rika.  With a smile, she unclipped her digivice from her belt and held it up.

"We did," she grinned.  A second later, Renamon phased into the room beside her, arm around Rika's shoulder.  The girl pressed closer into her lover's side happily, wrapping an arm around Renamon's waist.

"Oh my God!" Kenta gasped, looking over at Kazu.  "Does this mean…"

"We're gonna get to see our partners again!"  Kazu cheered, dancing for joy with Kenta.  Suzie looked over at her older brother.

"We are going to, right?  Even me?" she asked, a pleading look on her face.  Henry, unsure, looked over to Renamon.  Only she knew if the old partners had been rounded up yet.

"We… will see them again, right?" Kenta asked.

"It wasn't easy," Renamon said, a smile starting to appear on her face.  "But we managed to round up nearly all of the old partners, all of yours included."

"Guardromon!"  "Marine Angemon!"  "Lopmon!"  Each Tamer present cheered at the thought of seeing their partner again after four years.

Rika, Henry and Takato breathed sighs of relief as the others cheered and celebrated.  Now it was only a matter of time until the next batch of D-Bands were completed.  Then, the grand reunion would be possible.

"The only ones that we haven't been able to find yet are Cyberdramon and Impmon," Renamon reported.  "We've still got people looking though."

"'We've got people'?" Kazu asked, as a cell phone started ringing.  Yamaki pulled one out of his pocket and answered it.  "You sound like you've got some large army behind."

"Not an army," Takato answered with a smile.  "Only a city."

"Shit!"  Everybody turned to stare at Yamaki who was holding his phone at arm's length.  "Hate to cut this short, we need to get the hell out of here, and we have to get out of here NOW."

The squeal of air brakes from the street reinforced Yamaki's order.  Rika peeked out the window to see a large black truck pulled up in front of the house.  "It's a Hypnos truck!  What's going on, Yamaki?" 

"Apparently the reports from today weren't squelched enough," Yamaki grumbled.  "That, coupled with the incident last night, was enough for Hypnos to decide to look up some… old acquaintances.  Right now, a similar truck is pulling up in front of each of your houses."

Three loud knocks sounded from the front of the house.  "I'll repeat!" Yamaki said louder.  "We have to get out of here, now.  Is there a back door?"

"Uhh, yes, of course," Rika said.  She pointed off into the house.  "This way."

Yamaki took charge, herding everybody towards the back door.  The pounding on the door continued, getting steadily louder.  At first everybody was hesitant to move, confused.

"Would someone please explain what's going on?" Kazu asked, heading for the back door.  "I didn't exactly expect to be running from any shadowy government agencies today!"

"I'll explain on the way," Yamaki told them.  "I'd rather not be seen right here right now."

The pounding reached an all time high.  "Open up!" a gruff voice on the other side said.  "Don't make us break down the door!"

Once everybody was safely out the back, Rika turned to Yamaki who was running along with the group.  "What about my grandma?"

"She have a cell phone?"  Rika nodded, and Yamaki tossed her his phone.  "Call her with mine."

"What about Jeri?" Takato asked, eyes wide.  "If something happens to her…" His eyes narrowed angrily and a low growl started in his throat.  Rika looked at him strangely, one eyebrow raised.

"Don't worry, Hypnos isn't a group of barbarians, they're not going to hurt anybody," Yamaki reassured him.  "They'll just ask some questions, and when she doesn't have the answers they want, they'll leave."

"What are they looking for?" Henry asked.  Looking around, he realized that they were headed for the park.  It had always been a meeting place in the past.

"History, it seems, repeats itself," Yamaki chuckled.  "They're looking for Shibumi."


	7. Episode 7: Shibumi's Secret

After several minutes, a motley crew arrived at Guilmon's old hideout.  Yamaki rested one hand against the wall, breathing rather heavily.  "I'm getting too old for this," he said.  "And here I thought I was finally getting settled down."

"Just like old times, eh?"  Kenta said.  "Running for our lives, I mean."

"Yeah, terrific," Kazu shook his head.  "That's the one thing I didn't miss."

"What do they want with us, anyway?" Henry asked after catching his breath.

"You're not the only ones who know about the back door, but so far you're the only one who's had any success in sending anybody over," Yamaki told everybody, taking his cell phone back from Rika.

"What about the Tyrannomon?"

"A result of stolen tech I'm afraid," Henry explained.  "An earlier prototype was stolen from our lab."

"Lab?  Okay, what's been going on these past few years?  I get the sense there's a whole lot that we haven't been told."

Meanwhile, Yamaki had dialed a number on his phone and began speaking into it.  "Yeah, this is Yamaki reporting in.  Yes, I've seen the missing Tamers."  Yamaki stopped to look over the group, the hints of mistrust on their faces.  "You should check west of the Nonaka residence."

Hanging up the phone, Yamaki smiled.  "They really should, seeing as how we went east.  That'll buy us some time.  With any luck, we can use that time to find Shibumi before they do."

"Not a problem," Takato said, looking to Henry.  "Right buddy?"

"Not a bit," Henry smiled.  "We just happen to know exactly where he is.  He's got a lab out in the country, and he's been helping develop our tech."

"You're just full of surprises, aren't you?" Yamaki laughed.  "Well, you provide the directions, and I'll provide the transportation."  Pulling out his cell again, Yamaki dialed another number.  "Don't suppose I can get a lift?  The park.  Yeah, that park.  I'm, uhh, bringing a few old friends.  Right, see you then."  He hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket.  "It's all set."

"Let me see if I've got this straight," Takato said.  "Hypnos knows, or at least suspects that I'm back in the Real World, and they're looking to interrogate all of my friends.  Are you sure we can trust your transportation?"

"As much as you can trust me, for what that's worth," Yamaki replied.  "Officially, I'm with Hypnos.  If push comes to shove though, I'll cast my lot firmly in with yours.  And you have my word of honor on that."  Yamaki extended his hand, and Takato took it, giving it a firm shake.

******

A large van pulled up a few yards from the group and Yamaki headed over to the driver's side.  The window rolled down and a woman stuck her head out.  She was a redhead, not much younger than Yamaki.  "You called for a lift?"  She said cheerily.

"Hey, I remember you back from that time with D-Reaper," Takato said, brow furrowed in thought.  "Riley, isn't it?"

"That would be correct," Yamaki said with a rare smile on his face.  "I'd like you to meet Riley Ootori, my fiancé."

"Your what?" Henry gaped.  "I didn't think you were exactly the marrying type."

"I'm full of surprises too," Yamaki laughed.  "Shall we, honey?"

"Anything you say, Boss Man," Riley grinned as everybody climbed into the van.  "So, where are we going?"

As soon as everybody was inside the van, they started off, Henry riding shotgun to give directions.  During the ride, Takato took the opportunity to fill the others in on everything that had happened after the seal.

"You built a city?" Kazu said slowly, unbelievingly.  "You?"

"Well," Takato said, "when you compare it to all the other settlements in the Digital World, it's a city.  It's only about as large as a good sized town though."

"And you did this on your own?"

"Well, I had quite a bit of help from the local Digimon.  When they realized they could benefit from the security of a large group of allies, they were eager to help.  Being a big star for saving the Digital World didn't hurt either."

"Where'd you get the materials?"

"Most of it is stone, which isn't hard at all to find.  Of course, if you know where to look and what to do, getting metal isn't all that difficult either.  Naturally, anything really high-tech was sent over by Henry and Shibumi."

"Speaking of Shibumi," Yamaki called back from the front of the van, "we seem to have reached our destination."

"All ashore that's going ashore," Kazu joked as everybody piled out.  Their destination appeared to be a small residence in the country.  It didn't look anything other than an ordinary town house, but Henry knew better.  Shibumi was inside, as well as his lab where he had helped design their new tech.  Henry led the group up the path to the front door and rang the bell.

"Who's there?" Shibumi's voice asked over the intercom.  Henry pressed the button on their end and answered.  "It's Henry."  A buzzer sounded from inside and the door unlocked.  Henry pushed it open and the group filed into the entrance hall.  The place almost seemed larger inside than outside if that was possible.  A figure came into sight on a second floor balcony, Shibumi.

"I see you've brought guests," he called as he descended the stairs.  Once he had reached them, he looked Takato up and down.  "Ahh, the Prodigal Son has returned."  His gaze traveled over to Yamaki.  "And he's brought a Hypnos agent."

Yamaki tucked his sunglasses back into his coat pocket.  "Well, more or less.  It's good to see you again Mr. Mizuno."

"If it isn't Mr. Yamaki," Shibumi said.  "Still, I'm surprised you wouldn't mind being around a Hypnos agent, especially after the incident with a certain Miss Katou an hour or two ago."

"Jeri?" Takato said, eyes wide.  "What happened with Jeri?"

"You haven't heard, have you?" Shibumi said amazed.  "She's been arrested."

******

"Where are you taking me?" Jeri asked the two Hypnos agents who were leading her to the back of a truck.  She wasn't handcuffed, but her arms were securely in the grip of the men.  "What's going on?"

"You're being brought in for questioning," the man explained.  "It's a matter of national security.  You'd be well advised to cooperate."

"This is pure bullshit!"  Jeri yelled.  "National security?  What the hell are you talking about?"

"I understand you were contacted by an old friend today," a third agent explained once the van was under way.  "We've been keeping our eye out for him for quite some time now."

"You can't mean…" Jeri gasped.

"Yes," the man nodded.  "We're very interested in talking to Takato Matsuki."

******

"I thought you said they were just going to leave once they asked her a few questions?" Takato sneered, glaring at Yamaki.  The man in black took a few steps back from the anger in the young man's eyes.

"I assure you!"  Yamaki said, "I had no idea anything like this would happen!"

"He's right," Shibumi nodded.  "In fact, I wouldn't count on him giving you any more information.  See, they're looking for him too."

"Damn it," Yamaki grunted.  "Is anything going to go right today?"

"Sadly," Shibumi answered, shaking his head, "no.  I need to amend what I said last.  They're not looking for you, Yamaki, they've found you."

At that, a number of men, each one in a dark black suit, entered the room.  The Tamers clumped together, completely surrounded.  Renamon dropped into a fighting stance, but held back.  Yamaki whirled around, cursed loudly, and reached into the inside of his jacket.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Yamaki," Shibumi said.  Yamaki turned, and ended up facing down the barrel of a gun leveled at him by the man.  "Now, kindly take it out slowly, set it on the ground, and kick it over."

Growling, Yamaki pulled his hand out of his jacket, half closed around a revolver of his own.  Bending over, but never taking his eyes off of Shibumi, he placed it on the ground and kicked it over to one of the black suits.

"I'm truly sorry it had to come to this," Shibumi told everybody.  "But this is bigger than all of us.  We are all but flies compared to Operation Prodigal Son."

A second ring of men joined the first group surrounding the Tamers, each man carrying a machine gun.  Rika glanced over at Renamon, and the Digimon gave a slight nod.  Rika returned the nod, and Renamon slowly began to move her arm.  Almost imperceptibly, Renamon reached to her wrist and pressed a couple of buttons on the D-Band she was wearing.  For a split second, she appeared to glow with energy, but nobody seemed to notice.

"Operation Prodigal Son?" Yamaki said with a confused look on his face.  "What is that?  Why have I never heard of it?"

"The fewer people who know about it, the better," Shibumi shrugged.  "Matters of national security, you know.  Let's just say that almost nothing has happened without a reason.  Men, take them away.  See that nobody gets hurt, will you?"  Shibumi turned his back and gestured with his gun.

As soon as he had turned his back, Renamon sprang into action, sending herself at the nearest grunt.  She crashed into him sending the man and his weapon flying, and leapt at the next one.  Halfway there, the rest of the men opened fire with a loud yell, and Renamon was caught in a hail of bullets.  Rika screamed in horror as Renamon crashed to the ground and lay still, a multitude of wounds on her body leaking data.  Rika ran over to her partner's body, cradling Renamon's head in her arms, tears streaming down her face.

"Damn it!" Shibumi yelled.  "I said I didn't want anybody hurt!"

Renamon looked into Rika's eyes and smiled faintly before her body broke up into data, and the data slowly faded.  All anybody could do was stare at the spot where Renamon had been, expressions of shock and disbelief evident on their face.  "Oh my God!  Renamon!"  "Damn you!"  "It can't be!"  "No way!"

"Just get the rest of them the hell out of here!"  Shibumi screamed.  The men closed in once again after helping up their fallen comrade and herded the Tamers into the van.  Rika walked despondently, shoulders slumped.  Takato tried to put a comforting arm around her shoulder, but she shrugged it off with a tearful glare at him.

"I'm sorry, Rika," Takato said as everybody was handcuffed and led into the back of a large truck.  Rika only looked at him sadly and shook her head.  The van pulled way once everybody was secured inside.

******

For the entire ride, Rika sat quietly and nobody's attempts to talk to her were able to garner a response.  The majority of the ride was spent in silence; not even Suzie had a trace of her usual liveliness.  What seemed like an eternity in the truck later, they came to a brief stop in front of a gate before it was lifted and they continued on.  They had finally arrived at their destination.

The destination was a government complex far outside the outskirts of the city.  Whatever the place was, it was clearly designed to keep the people inside of the place inside, and everybody else out.  The Tamers and Yamaki were herded inside one of the secondary buildings, and the group was separated.

"Get in there," one of the agents sneered, shoving Kazu, Kenta and Henry into a cell and locking the door.  Yamaki and Takato were all led further down the hall.

Rika and Suzie were led down a second hallway, Rika having to be pushed to keep going.  They were shoved into a second cell, one that already had an occupant.

"Jeri!"  Suzie said, walking over to sit next to the girl.  Rika slumped against the wall, seeming to lean on it for support.

"So they got you too, huh?" Jeri asked, looking up.  "Damn Takato.  It would have been better if he had just stayed the hell where he was."

"You can't mean that," Suzie said, as Rika looked outside to make sure the guard was gone.

"Of course she doesn't," Rika laughed, leaning nonchalantly against the wall.  She looked over to the two other girls, smiling.  "She's just too damn stubborn to admit it.  Looks like more of me rubbed off on you than I thought."

"Yeah, whatever," Jeri said, dismissing the idea with a shake of her head.  Suzie had a different reaction.

"Rika," Suzie began hesitantly.  "I thought…"

"That I was mired in an endless depression due to Renamon's death?" Rika asked with a chuckle.  "My mother always said I would make a good actress.  Everything set to go, Renamon?"

Suzie looked at Rika sidelong, trying to discern whether the girl had snapped.  Her question was answered when Renamon phased into the room, not a trace of a scratch on her.

"Everything's set," Renamon reported.  "They're just waiting for the word."

"Good," Rika nodded, walking over to the bars of the cell.  She looked out to check on the position of the guard.  He was about to come back.  "Tell them to standby and wait for the signal.  I'd like to learn as much as I can before we blow this joint."

"Of course."

"And Renamon?  Be careful.  I'd hate to have that just be a rehearsal."

"It will take a whole hell of a lot more than that to get rid of me," Renamon replied, giving Rika one more kiss before fading from the room.

"But I… I saw her die," Suzie said, completely confused.  One second Renamon was little more than random data, and the next she appeared unharmed.

"What you saw die was just a clone," Rika explained, "thanks to the power of the Alias card.  A split second after the real Renamon left a clone took her place.  A rather effective ruse."

"But, why?"

"Well, I had to get Renamon out of there so she could gather our forces in secret.  Just be patient," Rika assured Suzie.  "We'll be out of here as soon as we find out everything we can."

"Well," Jeri spoke up.  "They already interrogated me.  Naturally, I didn't know a damn thing about what was going on so they brought me back here."

"Were you able to get anything?"

"They kept mentioning some Prodigal Son, and something about a Key."

"Hmmm," Rika muttered, deep in thought.  "We already know who the Prodigal Son is, Takato.  But what could this Key be?"

******

"So," the man sitting behind the desk asked.  The desk was set in a large office on the third floor of the main building, and only a select few were allowed in there.  "You say this thing is the Key?"

"Yes, sir, Mr. Kurouji," the other man in the room reported.  "That is indeed the Key.  They call it the 'D-Band'."

"Ahh, excellent," Mr. Kurouji chuckled, picking the device up from the table.  "And how many of these do we have, Mr. Mizuno?"

"I, uhh, am afraid, sir, that this is the only working prototype right now," Shibumi said nervously.

"Oh?  I was under the impression that there was at least one more.  Belonging to the Tyrannomon and the Renamon?"

"The Tyrannomon's emergence, sir, was a result of an earlier prototype device.  Frankly, sir, the thing was a hunk of junk.  Halfway through the second test the damn thing blew out.  Lost one of our Ultimates to it."

"Well then, it's a good thing you had your force steal it," Mr. Kurouji said, steepling his fingers on the desk in front of him.

"Yes, sir.  Had the Tamers tried to use it, the Prodigal Son would have been lost, along with any hope of us obtaining the Key."

"And the one in possession of the Renamon?"

Shibumi began to sweat.  "Well, sir, there was an incident during the capture.  The Renamon attacked one of our men, and they retaliated.  The subject was destroyed, the second Key with her."

"Yes, I'm sure it's a shame," Mr. Kurouji grunted.  "But it's only a minor setback.  How long until you can equip our entire force with Keys?"

"My best estimate, sir, is three weeks for total outfitting, two at the soonest."

"That long?  That'll put us off our schedule.  I dislike delays, Mr. Mizuno."

"Well, sir, I'd consider it a bargain.  The Key has powers beyond merely being the Key to travel."

"Explain."

"Yes, sir.  The technology in the Key was derived from the final design for the Arks, especially the process of utilizing cards.  May I?" Shibumi asked, just short of reaching for Takato's D-Band.  Mr. Kurouji waved his hand, and Shibumi picked up the device and strapped it to his own wrist.  He then pulled something out of the pocket of his jacket, an old Digimon card.

"The old Arks were able to power these innocuous little cards, and grant the extent of their imaginary power onto the real life Digimon.  You've seen the films, sir."  

Mr. Kurouji nodded.  He was quite familiar with the process the children had dubbed 'Digimodifying.'

Shibumi continued.  "The same tech that granted the power exists within the Key.  So, all I have to do is this, sir," Shibumi said, pulling the card through the slot on the D-Band, causing the screen to flash.  He closed his eyes and his body started to shiver for a few seconds.  When it had subsided, he walked over to the large safe in the corner of the room.

"Ordinarily, sir, a human would never be able to pick this safe up with anything less than a crane.  But, through the power of the Key…" Shibumi demonstrated by grabbing the safe with one hand and lifting it off the ground rather effortlessly.

Mr. Kurouji sat forward in his chair, barely maintaining his surprise.  "So," he said, "two or three weeks in exchange for near limitless power."  He leaned back again, regaining his composure.  "Yes, I'd say that's quite a bargain."

"I thought you might feel that way, sir," Shibumi smiled, replacing the safe on the floor.  He pressed a button on the D-Band and felt the extra power drain from his body.  "Not only will that work on us, but it can also be used to power up our troops even further.  I'll get to work on mass producing the Key ASAP, sir."

"And what of the children and my former employee?"

"They won't be around here much longer, I can assure you, sir," Shibumi nodded.

"Very good.  Oh, and Mr. Mizuno?  I would advise you not to fail me.  You have a very pretty niece.  It'd be a shame if something were to happen to her."

"I understand fully, sir.  I will not fail."

Bowing profusely, Shibumi backed out of his boss's room, sweat heavy on his forehead.  He felt like a fool, bowing and scraping before the man, but more was at stake than pride.  "You," he called out to one of the guards.  The man snapped to attention immediately.  "Bring the Prodigal Son to me.  I desire to talk with him."  The guard saluted and dashed off, leaving Shibumi alone to sigh.  He only hoped it was worth all the risks.

******

Back in his office, Mr. Kurouji turned to look out the window, watching the sun set.  He chuckled to himself, imagining the power he would possess.  Just two or three more weeks, he thought.  And then… and then both worlds would be eating out of the palm of his hand.  Just the way he liked it.  The chuckle got louder and heartier, turning into a full laugh.  He was still laughing when Takato was brought in to see Shibumi.


	8. Episode 8: Operation Prodigal Son

"Prodigal Son," the guard who came up to the bars of Takato's cell said.  "You are to come with me."

"Will you quit calling me that?" Takato sneered.  "I have a name you know."  Since his arrival, only his friends had called him by his name.  Everybody only called him 'Prodigal Son,' whatever that meant.

The guard only snorted in derision and led Takato back up the hall and to a flight of stairs.  Occasionally, the agent shoved Takato when he felt that the boy wasn't moving fast enough for him.  Takato had to fight back the sudden urge to take the guy down, but eventually he was pushed into a small office.  He paused when he saw that Shibumi was waiting for him.

"When I get free," Takato threatened, "I'm going to-" He didn't quite know what he would do, but Shibumi wasn't going to like it, that much he was sure of.

"What you are going to do is be quiet and listen," Shibumi snapped.  He didn't have time for threats.  "And I am going to tell you exactly what is going on here.  I'm sure you'd like to hear that."

"I'm listening," Takato said, narrowing his eyes and slightly relaxing his guard.  He might as well get something out of it.  Shibumi waved him to a seat and he sat down warily, hands still cuffed behind his back.

"I thought as much," Shibumi nodded, sitting behind his desk.  He spread his arms wide to take in the entire building.  "Welcome to the headquarters of Operation Prodigal Son."

"I keep hearing that ridiculous name," Takato said.  "What the hell does that mean, anyway?"

"As you know, you are what we call the Prodigal Son.  You are the lynchpin to this entire fiasco.  Nothing done so far was without a purpose.  For nearly two years, this operation was in the planning stages, setting up a string of events that would work in the operation's favor.  Sealing you into the Digital World was only the beginning of it."

"I thought I was sealed in the Digital World because I couldn't be separated from Guilmon without both of us eventually dying."

"And who was it who told you that?" Shibumi prompted, though he already knew the answer.  Takato knew it too.

"You," Takato gasped as true realization of his situation began to sink in.  The last four years... everything... him being separated from family, friends, loved ones... was it all a deception?

"Exactly.  I'm just surprised that such a simple deception had worked.  Heck, the temporary seal put in place following D-Reaper's defeat alone was enough to disprove that," Shibumi said out of hand.

"Wait, what?  Are you trying to tell me that it wasn't just a side effect of using Juggernaut against D-Reaper?  That it was a test?"  Takato gaped.

"Yes, Operation Doodlebug became the predecessor to Prodigal Son.  It proved that a seal between the worlds was not only possible, but also relatively simple.  And that was when Operation Prodigal Son began to form.  It was beautiful in its simplicity, but infinitely complex.  Such as in a game of chess, everything was planned several moves in advance.  The only thing we needed to do was sacrifice a pawn and you were the perfect choice."

"So I was just convenient?!" Takato raged.  "I was sent away from my home, my family, my friends, everybody and everything I loved because I was the easiest to manipulate?!"

"I'm afraid so.  You were shipped off to the Digital World and the permanent seal was put in place.  As I said before, nothing was done without a reason.  Even the back door I planted in the ice wall was intentional.  It wasn't some act of sabotage on my part; it didn't involve me going behind everybody's back to help a friend.  It was all just one more facet of the plan."

"But why?  Why put up a barrier that's so easy to penetrate?"

"As far as the public and just about everybody else in the world knows, the seal was designed to keep the Digimon out of the Real World.  But, its true purpose was to keep the rest of the world out, so only the people who knew the specifics of the back door could travel.  The flaw was buried deep within millions of lines of code, so, offhand, it would take even the fastest computers in the world decades to discover it on their own, and even longer to find a way to exploit it."

"But," Takato broke in.  "If somebody was determined enough, and knew the exact specifications of the flaw, the time would be cut drastically."

"Yes!  And thus the flaw was 'leaked' to the rest of your friends because we knew they'd do everything in their power to get you and everybody else back in the Real World.  Thanks to all of you, what would have taken forever took a mere four years.  If we waited long enough, we knew that the Key would fall directly into our laps."

"Key?"

"The Key to travelling between the two worlds.  The Key to bringing Digimon back to the Real World.  Your D-Band."

"You plan to bring Digimon to the Real World?  Why put up the barrier in the first place then?"

"What is the most powerful weapon in the world, Takato?  Plainly and simply, it's the one that nobody else possesses.  Only we will have the means of bringing Digimon over.  Only we possess technology that can stop attacking Digimon.  An army of digital monsters would be nigh on unstoppable.  Controlling the entire world would be mere child's play."

"You're insane!" Takato boggled.  "You actually intend to rule the planet?"

Shibumi shook his head.  "Not me.  You see, I am as much of a pawn as you are.  The only reason I've taken part in this is because…" Here, Shibumi's voice wavered, but he managed to gather his strength and continue.   "Because they've threatened the lives of my family if I didn't cooperate.  But now, I have second thoughts.  I'm honestly not sure which is worse; seeing my family die, or watching them crushed under the weight of oppression.  I don't want to see anybody die over this."

"It's too late for that," Takato told him.  The operation had already taken its toll, and Rika had paid the price for it.  "Somebody has already died."

"You mean Renamon, don't you?" Shibumi said.  He laughed out loud as if the very idea was ridiculous.  "You forget, we've been watching all of you for years and we've got extensive files on every man, woman, child, and Digimon in your group.  I know Renamon would never do something that reckless.  She's a smarter warrior than that.  She knows that attacking a large group of heavily armed men is just asking to get killed.  I'm not sure how she accomplished it, but there is no doubt in my mind that Renamon is alive and well."

"Why should I believe you?"  Takato hissed.  "How do I know that telling me all this isn't just another goddamn facet of your precious operation?  Why else would you do it?"

"Because," Shibumi responded, reaching into his desk.  "I know that only you and your friends are capable of stopping this."  Shibumi crossed over to where Takato was sitting and took a hold of his handcuffs.  Takato tensed, but then he could hear the click of a lock as his handcuffs fell free.  "I'm in too deep," Shibumi continued.  "This is all that I can do for you.  Two weeks is all I can give you!  You must stop their plans before it is too late!  Now, get out of here!"  Shibumi stepped away as Takato rose to his feet, rubbing his wrists.  Takato eyed Shibumi warily on the way to the door as the man picked up a package from his desk drawer and tossed it.  "Take this too, and remember: it is not only the Key to the Digital World, it is the Key to your own evolution!"

Shibumi watched as Takato sprinted down the hallway back to the staircase.  He gave the boy as much of a head start as was safe before, a minute later, he quickly pressed the PA button.

******

"I can't believe this!"  Kazu shouted for the tenth time of the hour.  "This has to be a dream!  I mean, Renamon… Renamon's dead and we're in prison; who knows what's going to happen after this.  This has to be the worst day of my life."

"I just wish I could figure out why Shibumi betrayed us," Henry shook his head.  "I mean, he's the one who helped us develop everything, and he's the one who sneaked the back door into the ice wall.  If it weren't for him, Takato wouldn't even be here.  It doesn't make sense that he'd go through all that just to toss us all in prison."

"Nothing's been making sense lately," Kenta added.  Hours before, his only thoughts had been of his upcoming date with Alice.  There was just something about black that spoke to him.  But, now was not the time for such thoughts.

Adding to the confusion, a klaxon sounded throughout the halls, drowning out any potential thoughts.  Everybody listened as Shibumi's voice came out of the speakers.  "Alert!  The Prodigal Son has escaped!  Bring him in unharmed!"

******

"The waiting is the hardest part," Rika grumbled, tapping her foot impatiently.  "I mean, we've just been sitting here.  Nobody's even come to question us."

"That's not a bad thing," Suzie put in.  "I'm too young to be interrogated."

"It's not so bad once you get used to it," Jeri joked.  "You know, if Takato comes out of this alive, I'm gonna kill him.  I really will."

Rika shook her head.  "I've taught you too well."  Jeri was acting much like Rika had used to.

"Alert!  The Prodigal Son has escaped!  Bring him in unharmed!"

Finally, Rika thought, some action.  "That's our cue, Renamon!" Rika said loudly, standing up straight.  Renamon phased into the room, bowing slightly.

"The others are ready and waiting," she reported, flexing her muscles nervously.

"Good.  Apparently, Takato's making his escape now, and we need to meet up with him," Rika directed.  Shortly after Renamon nodded and faded from the room, Rika attempted to herd everybody to the front of the cell.  "All right ladies, back against the bars."

Suzie and Jeri hesitated for a second before scrambling to their feet.  They joined Rika in huddling against the bars, even though they didn't know why they were doing it.

******

"What the hell was that??" Kenta screamed as a loud explosion rocked the complex.  The three boys got to their feet in shock as, outside, guards scrambled back and forth.  Their shock only deepened as a familiar face appeared inside the cell, one they hadn't expected to see again.

"Renamon??" Henry said as the Digimon in question phased into the cell.  He saw her die…

"No time to explain!" Renamon said, shoving the inhabitants against the wall.  Three, two, one…  "Don't move!"

With a tremendous roar, the bricks of the wall exploded into the room in a shower of dust and debris and a voice from outside the building called out, one that Kazu recognized instantly.

"I say!  Did someone call for a rescue?"  Guardromon said, the grenade ports in his wrists still open.

"Is that really you, buddy?" Kazu asked.  His old partner was back!

"Kazu!" Guardromon cheered as the boy in question ran up to give him as much of a hug as he could.  Before Kazu pulled away, rapid-fire pings of metal on metal rang out as the guards outside opened fire.  None of the bullets were able to penetrate Guardromon's thick armor, so they weren't dangerous.

"Well, that's quite annoying," Guardromon said, sheltering Kazu behind his sturdy metal body.  "Could you take care of that, please?"

"Don't worry!" a small voice called back.  "I got it!  Kahuna Waves!"

Kenta looked on as a massive blue heart surrounded a group of guards and lifted them into the air.  They yelled and struggled, but the heart refused to burst.  Kenta was pushed backwards as a small pink blur launched itself into his arms.  "Marine Angemon!" the boy cheered.  "You're back!"

"Kenta!  I've missed you!" the petit Mega said happily, nuzzling Kenta's chest.

"Save the re-introductions for later!" Renamon commanded, shoving everybody through the brand new door in the cell opened by Guardromon.  "Right now we have to get out of here!"  The three boys quickly followed her lead and stepped outside.

They were greeted by a powerful searchlight, and they were all forced to turn their eyes to avoid being blinded..  "Kill that thing!" Renamon yelled, shielding her eyes.

"I'm on it!  Gargo Laser!"  A barrage of green blasts rang out and the light exploded, raining broken glass on the ground below.  "Though it's not like me to give up the spotlight!"  Gargomon blew an imaginary puff of smoke off the end of his guns, and cocked them for the next shot.

"Let's go," Renamon said, still leading everybody.  "The girls are waiting for us on the other side."

"What about Takato?" Henry asked as Gargomon continued to keep the guards on their feet with his attacks.  He was trying very carefully not to harm them, they were just doing their job, despite who they were working for.

A third explosion answered Henry's question, followed by half of the wall caving down.  Growlmon let out a loud roar as his claws dug easily through brick and mortar.  Takato was riding proudly on his partner's massive shoulder.

"Guess that answers that," Henry yelled as the battle continued behind them.  "All that's left is to meet the girls on the other side and get the hell out of here."

"Just one second!" Takato called back, remembering another prisoner they had to rescue.  He pointed to a section of the wall and Growlmon nodded, sending one massive clawed hand into the wall.  When he brought it back out, Yamaki was held safely in his hand.  "Okay, now we can get the girls!"

"No need for that!" Rika called.  "We've got out own transportation!"

She came into sight around the corner along with Jeri and Suzie.  All three of the girls were riding in the oversized hand of Antylamon who strode quickly over to join the group.

Their plan of escape hit another snag as a voice rang out over the loudspeakers.  "Fire the anti-Digimon armaments!"  This was quickly followed by the loud bang of a launcher firing.  A projectile streaked into the group of Tamers and imbedded itself into the ground, several fins popping out from its surface.  A loud, strange hum began to emerge from the machine.

"What the heck is that?" Kenta asked, backing away from the strange device.  His question was answered when Growlmon began phasing towards it.  Takato let out a squawk of dismay, trying to pull his partner away.

Henry gasped loudly as he remembered what had caused such an effect before.  As improbable as it was, he shouted, "Look out!  They're using Juggernaut!"


	9. Episode 9: Winging It

"But that's not possible!" Yamaki shouted as everyone backed away from the Juggernaut missile.  "The Juggernaut system took up a whole damn floor in the Hypnos building!"

"Apparently they've found a way to miniaturize it!" Henry shouted.  "Take that thing out before it deletes the Digimon!"

"Gargo Laser!" "Guardian Barrage!" "Diamond Storm!" "Kahuna Waves!"  Each Digimon sent their attacks at the missile, but the Tamers only watched in horror as the projectiles phased into it without any effect.

"Guess it requires a direct approach," Antylamon said, setting the girls down.  "Bunny Blades!"  With a flourish, Antylamon's hands converted into axes.

"Don't!" Suzie cried out.  "You'll be deleted!  I don't want to lose you after we just met again!"

"I'll be fine," Antylamon reassured her.  "Trust me!" Antylamon yelled, bringing one axe-hand down towards the missile.  For a second, her arm nearly phased into the machine and Antylamon struggled to bring her hand down.  Grunting, she continued to press and with one final scream, the missile split into two halves and fell silent.

"You did it!" Suzie cheered, hugging Antylamon's leg.  Antylamon breathed heavily but smiled.

"Now let's get out of here before more of those damn things are shot at us!" Rika ordered.

Marine Angemon nodded and began inhaling.  "Ka… hu… na… WAVES!"  A gigantic blue bubble emerged from his mouth, encapsulating all the Tamers and Yamaki.  It rose up into the air, accelerating rapidly and leaving the Hypnos complex far below and behind them.

******

While the bubble floated away from the compound, Takato took the opportunity to fell everybody in on what had happened with Shibumi.  Right after he finished his tale, they touched down on the roof of the school, one of the few places Hypnos wouldn't immediately think of to look.  The general feeling was one of total surprise.  None of them could quite believe what they were hearing.

"This can't be happening," Kenta said, shaking his head.  Marine Angemon was perched on top of him, snoring softly as the effort of transporting everybody had drained him.  "This is like something out of a movie!"

"Yeah, really," Kazu agreed.  "Secret government conspiracies, black trucks, hidden army bases, and a plot to rule the world.  It's like something out of one of those James Bond movies."  He had always thought living in a movie would be kind of cool, but now that he had no choice, the idea lost it's flash.

"I really don't care about any of that," Rika growled.  "All I know is that I was put through four years of hell on the whims of some lunatic, and I will see them pay."

"Rika…" Renamon said softly, taken aback at the fire in her lover's eyes.  Still, she couldn't help but feel the same rage.  She wanted to make them pay just as badly, but she also knew that emotions made everybody do crazy things.

"We can't be thinking like that!" Henry reprimanded.  "This is a time to start thinking logically, not to go off half-cocked."

"I never do anything half-cocked," Rika replied, glaring at Henry.

"This is not the time for arguing!" Takato snapped angrily.  Rika looked at him in shock for a second before settling back down into Renamon's side with an angry sigh.  Henry took a deep breath to calm himself again, and Takato continued.  "Right now we need to figure out where to go next.  This place isn't going to stay safe for very long."  Eventually, Hypnos would find their hiding spot on top of the roof and they'd be trapped.

"Well," Jeri put in, "thanks to you, we sure as hell can't go home."

"Hey, I don't like it any more than you do," Takato told her.  "I still haven't been able to see my parents since I came back."  He wondered how they were doing, and how they took finding out Takato was back only through Hypnos agents at their door.  The original plan had been to meet with all his friends first and then go straight home, but now that wasn't possible.

"Why did you even come back, anyway?"  Jeri asked.  "What is it you were hoping to accomplish?  None of us thought you were coming back, and we moved on."  It had been hardest for Jeri, having to say goodbye to another important part of her life.

"I came back because this is my home.  I belong here, with all my friends.  Not a day passed in the Digital World where I didn't miss every single thing about the Real World.  Everybody I cared about is here, everybody I love."

"Oh, don't give me that love crap.  If you had really loved me like you told me, you never would have left in the first place."

"I didn't think I had a choice!" Takato argued.  "I thought it was either leave the Real World forever or die.  I picked what I thought was the only option available."

"It would have been better if you had died," Jeri snorted.  "At least then, I would have known you were gone forever and I would have been able to move on.  But no, you left, giving me some half-assed promise to be back.  I believed it for a while too.  And you know what I did?  I waited.  I actually waited for you to come back.  After a while though, I gave up my foolish hope.  Everything's changed Takato," Jeri shook her head.

"One thing hasn't changed," Takato disagreed.  "I never stopped loving you, Jeri."

"Then you're a bigger fool than I thought, Takato Matsuki.  I stopped loving you a long time ago.  And now… now I hate you."  With those last words, Jeri walked away, leaving Takato to sink to his knees.  The major driving force behind his desire to come home had just disappeared, and he could only wonder if he had made the right decision.

******

While Takato and Jeri had been arguing everybody had moved away to give them some semblance of privacy.  Most took the time to reacquaint themselves with their partners, such as Kazu.

"Guardromon, buddy?" Kazu asked hesitantly.  He wasn't entirely comfortable with things like this.  Emotions had never been his strong point, beyond his usual machismo.

"Yes, Kazu?" the big robot asked.

"I just wanted to say, well, you know…" Kazu stuttered, unable to say what he really wanted to, but Guardromon understood.

"I missed you too Kazu," he said, placing his metal hand on Kazu's shoulder.  He couldn't see it, but the boy smiled.  Once again, together, they were the unstoppable team.

******

"I can't believe you're back, Lopmon!"  Suzie laughed.  She, like everybody else, had expected that they had seen the last of their partners four years ago.  "Now I just have to find that Miss Pretty Pants dress again."

"Oh no!"  Lopmon cried.  "Not again!"  She loved Suzie like a sister, but the incessant dresses had been too much for her to take.  Fortunately for her, Suzie was only playing around.

"I'm just kidding," Suzie smiled.  "I outgrew that a long time ago, thanks to you."

"Thanks to me?" Lopmon asked, looking up at her Tamer.

"Yeah!  Because of all the time I spent with you, I learned that I was strong enough to protect the people I cared about."

"Suzie…" Lopmon said softly, as the girl picked her up in a hug, gentle instead of the crushing ones she had given as a child.

"Of course, that doesn't mean we can't stick Terriermon in a dress," Suzie added.  "Just for fun."

The serious look on Suzie's and Lopmon's faces was priceless before they both began to laugh, the image of Terriermon in a pink dress too much to handle.

******

Rika whispered into Renamon's ear, and the fox digimon nodded.  Rika gave her one last kiss before getting up and crossing to where Jeri was sitting.  She was worried about Jeri and her behavior of late.  She decided it was time for them to talk; she wanted to see Jeri happy.  The girl in question was sitting with her back against the wall, a scowl on her face.

"So," Rika asked.  "Why don't you tell me how you really feel about Takato?"

"I'm sure you heard," Jeri told her.  "I hate him."

"Bullshit," Rika nearly spat.  That was almost exactly what she had said about Renamon years ago.  It wasn't true then, and the circumstances weren't all that different.  "I don't believe you for a second, Jeri.  I've known you longer than that.  Just cut the crap and spill it."  Sometimes a direct approach worked best.

Jeri didn't respond at first.  She wanted to tell someone, but she wasn't sure Rika would understand.  A minute later, though, she asked, "Rika, if you don't mind me asking, who was your first?"

"My first?" Rika said, raising an eyebrow.  "Ohhh, my first.  Well, that's kind of a tricky question for me.  Well, my first experience... was with Renamon...  but, you mean my first time with a guy, right?"  Rika chuckled.  She couldn't remember who it had been, just one more in a string of failed attempts to fill in the void left by Renamon leaving.  She wasn't proud of the fact, but now that Renamon was back, it didn't really matter.  "Hell, it's been so long, I can't even remember.  Why?  Was Takato…"

Jeri broke in with, "A few years ago, after Takato and I started dating, I told him that I wanted my first time to be with him.  He told me the same thing.   But then, he left before we could finish our promise to each other.  I know he's kept his half, but…" she trailed off, unable to complete the thought.

"You haven't," Rika finished.  Jeri nodded, hanging her head slightly.

"Exactly.  And because of that, what was supposed to be the most special night of my life became something much less," Jeri said wistfully.  "After it happened, I was always able to make the excuse that Takato wasn't coming back and that he wouldn't want me to wait for something that would never be possible.  But now he's back and I don't have any excuse."

"You're going to have to face him sooner or later," Rika said, settling down next to Jeri.  "I know it's easier to just push him away, just deny that you still have feelings for him, but if you don't acknowledge the problem, you may just miss out on the best thing that ever happened to you.  Trust me.  If I hadn't done the same with Renamon, she probably wouldn't be in my life to this day."

"I suppose you're right," Jeri sighed, "but I really do still love him.  I just worry that once he finds out that I wasn't able to keep the promise, he'll stop feeling the same way."

"Now," Rika said, "I may not know Takato as intimately as you, but I know what kind of a guy he is, and that he's cared about you for a long time.  He's not going to let something like this change that.  You know that better I do."

A faint smile broke onto Jeri's face for the first time in a while.  "He really is a great guy, isn't he?  I just need some time to reassure myself of that."

"Gotcha," Rika nodded.  She gave Jeri one last squeeze on the shoulders before standing up to give the girl some time to think.  It was her wish that everything would end up working out between them.  They were two of her best friends, and she wanted the best for them.  Which meant…

"Ow!  Hey, leggo!" Takato said, being painfully dragged along the ground, his ear firmly in Rika's grasp.  "What's this all about?  I was just going to…"

"You were just going to royally screw everything up with Jeri," Rika finished for him.  "I'm going to tell you this once, and only once.  Leave Jeri alone for now, Takato.  She needs time to work out some issues that she has.  If you know what's best, you'll give her that time."

"What does she have to work out?" Takato asked, confused.  "If it's coming between us, then we need to work it out together, right?"

"It's not my place to tell you what it is," Rika shook her head, "but I can tell you it's something she needs to work out by herself."

"But…"

"I'd listen to her man," Kazu said, coming up to clap a hand on Takato's back.  "She's liable to kick your ass if you don't."

"Heck," Kenta added, "I'll probably help her.  I'd hate to see you screw things up with Jeri twice."

"It's a conspiracy!" Takato said, throwing his hands up in exasperation.  "All right, all right, I get the message."  He stared wistfully at Jeri, but made no move.  He would just have to trust her.

"Well, now that that's settled," Henry announced, "Maybe we can figure out what to do next?"

"I have an idea," Jeri said, moving over with the rest of the group.  She was careful to maintain a distance from Takato and instead stood close to Rika and Renamon.  "There's no place in the Real World that we can go to, right?"

"That's it," Takato agreed.  "that's what we've got to do.  We have to go to the Digital World."  He flexed his fist into the air, a serious look on his face.

"How are we going to do that?" Henry wondered.

"The same way we do everything," Rika told him.  "We wing it."

"Woah," the three of them said at once after looking at each other.  "Déjà vu."


	10. Episode 10: Departures and Resurrections

"We can't just find a portal like we did last time," Takato said.  The last time they had needed to get to the digital world, Guilmon had been lucky enough to find a portal underneath the shed that served as his house.  However, it and all other portals had long since been closed.

"We've still got the D-Bands that the digimon used to get here, right?" Rika suggested hopefully.  "Can't we just use them?"

"That works for us humans," Henry answered, "but that still leaves the Digimon.  I don't suppose any of you have your digivices?"

"Mine's still stored in the attic at my house," Kazu answered, "but I can't exactly show up there, not with Hypnos watching our houses."

"We'll just have to give them something else to watch, eh?" Guardromon offered.  Lifting his arms, he opened the twin grenade ports on his wrists.  "I was thinking of a nice fireworks show."

"Yeah!" Kazu cheered.  "You provide a distraction and draw away the goons while I get what I need from home!  Perfect!  Unless there are any objections?"  He looked around and got from everyone the same reaction he got from Henry.

"I got nothing better," Henry shrugged.  "Just make sure they don't catch you.  This may sound cruel, but we can't afford to perform a rescue."  Kazu nodded and climbed onto Guardromon's back, the robot's powerful jets carrying them away from the school.

Kenta rolled his eyes almost back into his head trying to look up at Marine Angemon, still peacefully snoozing on his head.  "Well," he said, "I left my digivice at… somebody else's house."  Muttering to himself, he added, "She's probably worried about what's happened to me anyway."  Reaching up, he gently picked Marine Angemon's sleeping form out of his hair and set him down softly.  The miniscule Mega stirred briefly, but continued to lightly snore.  Smiling, Kenta called over his shoulder, "Don't leave without me!"  He hopped onto a ladder leading off the roof and slid down it.

"Well," Henry said, turning to Yamaki, "What are you planning to do?"

"I'm sure Riley and I can find somewhere to go, away from prying Hypnos eyes, until this is taken care of."  With one of his rare smiles, he added,  "From everything I know about all of you, I gather it shouldn't take too long."

Henry returned the smile.  "Thanks for the vote of confidence.  Unfortunately, all we can do right now is wait."

******

"I can't believe this!" Henry's mother lamented to her husband.  They were in their living room, or what had looked like the living room before Hypnos had searched the place.  "I thought this whole Digimon business was over with four years ago, and now, it's taken away our children again."

Janyuu shook his head.  "I know, I thought it was over too.  Apparently, someone disagreed."

"What are we going to do?  I hate to think something really awful has happened," she said, holding tighter to her husband's arm.  She felt totally impotent.

"I think it's time I called on an old friend," Janyuu answered, standing up.  "If anybody can provide answers, it'll have to be him."

"Don't worry," he added.  "Henry can take care of himself, and he won't let anything happen to Suzie."

She nodded to herself.  "You're right, of course.  I guess I just have to have faith in the strength of our family."

Turning from the doorway, Janyuu responded, "Just like before, everything will turn out alright."  So he hoped.

******

"What do you mean I can't get in to see him?" Janyuu asked, shocked at the response he had gotten.  A black-suited men was standing in front of the entrance to the Hypnos building, blocking entry.

"I'm afraid, sir, that it is quite impossible for you to see Mr. Yamaki," the guard told Janyuu.

"Just tell him Janyuu's here to see him.  I know he'll want to see me."

"Allow me to make myself more clear.  You cannot see Mr. Yamaki because he is no longer with this organization."

"What?" Janyuu exclaimed in surprise.  "Why?"

"I am not at liberty to disclose such information."

"I see," Janyuu said flatly.  "Well, thank you for your time."  The guard only nodded slightly.

Janyuu turned away, mulling over this new piece of the puzzle in his head.  Digimon had returned to the Real World, Yamaki was no longer working for Hypnos, and his children, presumably the other Tamers as well, were missing.  It all added up to a picture he didn't want to face alone.  That meant he had to round up a few more allies.

Janyuu pulled out his phone and dialed the very familiar phone number.  He waited impatiently while the other end rang several times before a groggy voice answered, "Hello?"

"It's me, Tao."

"Tao?  Do you have any idea what time it is over here?"

Janyuu answered simply, "It's about Digimon."

"You've got my undivided attention."  The weariness in the voice all but disappeared entirely.

"The Digimon are back in the Real World.  Babel, it's time to resurrect the Monster Makers."

******

When Kazu and Kenta returned to the roof of the school, they both had their digivices in hand.  Takato had opened the package that Shibumi had given him, and was seated on the ground.  Cards were fanned out in front of him in large sweeps, and he was looking over them.

"Whatcha got there, Takato?" Kenta asked, kneeling next to Takato.  The boy looked up at his friend and smirked.

"Nice duds."

Kenta self-consciously looked down over the outfit he had changed into.  Instead of a standard t-shirt, he had on a white, button-front shirt with a rather large collar.  His pants were black and a little on the snug side.  This was all topped off with a large black trench coat reaching almost to the ground.  Kenta could only shrug.

"Nice lipstick," Kazu added.  Embarrassedly, Kenta rubbed the traces from the collar of his shirt.

"Well, she was, uhh, relieved to see me," he said, cheeks starting to turn bright red.  "Ahem.  If we could get back to the original question?"

Takato turned back to the cards, but the smile didn't fade.  "These are cards that Shibumi has given me."  Gesturing to a large fan, "These are the Realizer cards that'll make it much easier to get to the Digital World."  He picked up a small fan of cards, and tapped then with a finger.  "These are my personal favorites.  Guilmon, Growlmon, War Growlmon, and Gallantmon.  As well as Gallantmon merged with Grani."

"Does this mean I'm famous?" Guilmon asked excitedly.  "Although the likeness could use a little work..."

"You don't say," Terriermon replied, stepping up.  "Personally, I think these look much better." He picked up a similar set of cards featuring his own digivolutions.

"There's one like that for each of us," Takato explained.  "I just can't seem to figure out why Shibumi would go through the trouble of making these, let alone giving them to us like this."

"With Shibumi," Rika put in, "you can never tell.  Who knows?   They may actually be of some use."  With a shrug, she placed the cards into her hip pack with the rest of her deck.  The others did the same thing with theirs.

"Looks like we got everything that we need now," Takato said, passing out Realizer cards and handing an extra D-Band to Jeri.  His eyes lingered on her, but hers never met his and he looked away sadly.

"Time to wake up, sleepyhead," Kenta said, gently shaking Marine Angemon's snoozing form.  The miniscule Mega yawned so large it looked like he could almost swallow himself and floated up lazily.

"Kenta?" he said curiously, floating in a gentle circle around his partner.  He looked up and down, appraising his Tamer's new style.  "Black," he stated, settling on Kenta's black-clad shoulder.  "Nice."

"See?" Kenta said triumphantly, "Someone likes my style."

"Just remember, this is coming from the guy dressed in pink," Kazu edged in.

"Oh be quiet," Kenta edged back.  "You're just jealous because you have no style."

"No style," Marine Angemon piped in happily, a wide grin splitting his face.

"We might want to wrap this up," Guardromon reported.  "There seems to be a pair of black trucks headed in this direction."

Everybody rushed over to the ledge around the edge of the rook and looked in the direction Guardromon was pointing.  Sure enough, barely visible were two large black trucks, definitely Hypnos.

"It's time we get going while the going's good," Rika said, strapping on her blue D-band.  With nods, the other Tamers did the same with theirs.  Jeri put the one Takato had given to her on reluctantly.

"In that case," Yamaki said,  "this is where we part ways."

"You sure you're going to be all right?" Takato asked, turning to face the former Hypnos agent.

Yamaki nodded.  "Riley and I will be fine.  You just be sure to wrap this thing up quickly," he smirked, reaching out his hand.  Takato grasped it in a firm handshake.

"Will do," he said.  Turning to his friends, he added, "Let's go, everyone!"

Shouts of agreement rose from the Tamers gathered on the rooftop as they prepared cards and digivices.

"Digimodify!" they cried as one, sliding the Realizer cards through the slots.  "Realization Activate!  Digital World!"  With a rush of energy resembling a data stream, the Digimon left for the Digital World.

"Guess it's our turn now," Suzie gulped, watching the last of the stream fade along with Lopmon.  "You sure these things work?"

"I'm the one who designed them," Henry said, laying a reassuring hand on his sister's shoulder.  "Guaranteed, 100%."

"Will it be able to handle Kenta's outfit?" Kazu quipped.

"Lay off the threads," Kenta replied.

"Could we?" Rika said impatiently, hands on hips.

Takato looked around the roof and at the rapidly approaching trucks.  "It feels like I just got here," he thought to himself.  "And now I have to leave.  Mom, Dad, I promise you, I will return."  Out loud, he said, "Right.  We don't have time to waste."

Holding her fist, and the D-band around her wrist up by her face, Rika held her Realizer card at the beginning of the slot.  Pulling it through, she called out "Self-modify!  Realization Activate!  Digital World!"

She caught a brief glimpse of the others doing the same before the cards effect took place.  Time seemed to slow down, and Rika could almost see her hands turn to data in front of her.  Everything faded to black and she felt a rush of motion.  After an instant that seemed like an eternity, she felt Renamon's arm around her chest, helping her to her feet.

"Nope," Takato was saying, shaking his head to clear it, "doesn't get any easier the more you do it."  He grinned weakly, gesturing to the large stone building behind him.  "Welcome, friends, to Chéz Takato."


	11. Episode 11: Return to the Digital World

"Chéz Takato," Kazu repeated weakly, adjusting to his new surroundings. Once he had done so, he let out a low whistle. He and the others were standing in a large courtyard just outside a large stone building, their partners only a few feet away from them. Kazu estimated that the building in front of them was easily as large as the school back in the Real World. What surprised him even more were the goings-on everywhere else around him.

"That's a lot of Digimon..." Kenta said, mouth slightly agape. The surrounding town was rife with Digimon as if it were an everyday thing, which Kenta supposed it was. If it hadn't been for the fact that everybody around weren't human, he could have sworn it was a normal town back home, including lights. Though the sky was black for night, the place was alight with a myriad of lamps. The only thing missing was the traffic.

"See?" Henry said to his sister. "I told you they worked."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Suzie said, still a little disoriented. "I think I left my stomach back in the Real World somewhere..."

"So this is what you've been doing..." Jeri said softly. Takato gave a start; surprised that Jeri had spoken to him.

"Yeah, well," he said, embarrassed. "I had a lot of free time."

"I'll say," Rika said, adding her commentary. "Renamon didn't do this place justice."

"Wait until you see the inside," Takato said, a lopsided grin on his face. "Shall we?"

Meeting back up with his or her partners, everyone followed Takato in through what could only be the front door. The entrance hall was vast, with an arched roof. Despite the fact that everything was made of stone, it was surprisingly warm. He led them up to a large door, knocking loudly. A small port opened up, and Takato announced himself.

"I'm back, and I've brought some friends."

The port closed again and a second later the large door opened up and a Gotsumon made himself seen. With a small bow, he said, "Welcome back, Master Takato. Ahh, and Mister Terriermon as well."

Takato winced. "Haven't I told you not to call me that?"

"Of course, Master Takato," the rocky Rookie bowed. "You're back sooner than we expected. Have things not gone well?"

"You might say that," Takato said evasively. Seeing Suzie yawn, he added, "Would you please see my friends to some rooms? Treat them with the same respect as you do me."

"Of course," Gotsumon bowed. "This way please."

"It has been a long day," Rika yawned. "Even I'm beat."

Gotsumon lead them down one of the many hallways inside the complex, stopping at a set of four doors. "I'm afraid these old storage rooms are the best we have. They're empty at the moment, so I'll have someone bring some bedding."

"Only four rooms?" Kazu said. "But there are six of us."

"Dibs on a single room," Rika and Jeri said simultaneously before the words had left Kazu's mouth. Kazu could only stare, pole axed.

"Damn," Kenta said. "And I was looking forward to having my own room."

"Well," Henry said, "Suzie and I could share a room, which just leaves..."

"No!" Kazu said. "No way!"

"Uh-uh!" Kenta protested. "There's no way I'm sharing a room with him!"

"I wouldn't share a room with you if my life depended on it!"

"I wouldn't share a room with you for all the money in Japan!"

"Well, I..."

The sound of a trio of doors closing silenced any further arguments between the two. Turning their backs on each other, they both said, "This is all your fault."

******

"Ugh, I thought those two would never be quiet," Rika said once she and Renamon were firmly in their new room. Even after they had finally relented to sharing a room, the two had continued to argue.

"Just like old times," Renamon chuckled.

True to his word, Gotsumon had sent up a pair of mattresses and bedding to go with them. The two mattresses were pushed together on one side of the room, which Rika and Renamon were now reclining on.

"In old times I would have remembered to bring a change of clothes," Rika sighed. "I didn't even bring any pajamas."

"Well, now," Renamon answered, wrapping her arms around Rika's shoulders. "Is that really that much of a problem?"

Rika returned the embrace, smiling dreamily and leaning in. "I suppose... that it's not... so much... of a problem..." she murmured in between kisses.

******

The next morning, everyone save Kazu and Takato were gathered in what the Gotsumon called the Meeting Hall. The plan was to discuss what the next move was, but nobody really had any ideas. Everybody was sitting around, save Suzie, whom Henry said was still asleep, and Jeri who was noticeably absent the meeting. It wasn't long before Takato entered the room.

"Everybody sleep well?" he asked, grin on his face as usual. He was greeted with murmurs and much shaking of heads.

"It was, uhh," Henry said carefully, "rather hard with all the noise."

"You were across the hall from it," Kenta said. "I was just about right next to it."

Just as Rika opened her mouth to respond, the last latecomer, Kazu, entered, scratching the top of his head and yawning. "Morning," he said lazily. Smirking, he added "Everybody sleep well?"

"Well," Rika began, "not exactly. Not with you snoring so damn loudly!"

"Like a freaking chainsaw," Kenta added with an angry grumble. "I didn't know whether to cover my ears with my pillow or your mouth."

Kazu reddened noticeably. "My snoring is not that loud! Isn't that right, Guardromon?"

"Well," Guardromon began tactfully, "it wasn't all _that_ loud..."

"You're no help at all," Kazu sighed.

"Sorry..."

"Ahem," Takato broke in loudly. Kazu quickly settled into an open spot near Guardromon, redness all but gone from his face. "Now that we've all had a rest, we need to figure out what to do."

"Well," Henry began, "What do we know? According to what Shibumi told Takato, Hypnos is planning on bringing an army of Digimon over to the Real World. Obviously, as large of a group as would be required for that wouldn't be all that hard to locate."

"And that's where our scouts come in," Takato nodded. "We've got agents of our own out gathering information for us."

"You know what," Kazu spoke up. "I think it's about time you fill us in on everything that's been happening since you got here. I mean, you've got this large place, a network of scouts and who knows what else. What's up with all of this?"

Murmurs of agreement came from all present, and Takato nodded. "It's rather a long story, but here it is..."

******

Janyuu paced nervously back and forth in the empty lecture hall, trying to piece together the events of the past 48 hours and how they fit in with everything else he knew. Hypnos was suddenly much more active than in a long time, and suspiciously more low-key. The problem was that his network of friends no longer included an inside man into the strange government office with Yamaki notably absent.

Why hadn't the man even contacted him? The camaraderie between the two men that had begun back when D-Reaper was still a current threat surely meant that Yamaki would say something if he was suddenly let go. Janyuu supposed that it could only mean that the parting was less than sweet.

As if all of that wasn't bad enough, Digimon had been sighted in the Real World. No official reports acknowledged that the incident the night before was anything other than a regrettable accident, but Janyuu rarely paid any attention to them. One of the benefits of his teaching job at the college was that he had access to a wide variety of outside information, the gist of which suggested that the government was hard at work squelching any chance of information leaking to the general public. Try as they might, they couldn't stop the gossip machine, which was abuzz with talk about a monster that looked like it was "out of one of those old video games or something."

Janyuu coupled all that with the puzzling array of equipment that had been confiscated from his son's room. Throw in a bit of old friends, stir well, and what did you get? A recipe for trouble if there ever was one.

It was then that the first of the guests that Janyuu had invited arrived. She was tall and slender, with light blonde hair and fair complexion. Though the years had added a few wrinkles, there was no mistaking her. "Daisy," Janyuu said, happy to finally see a friendly face, something that had been in short supply lately. "It's good to see you again."

"As soon as I heard the news, I knew I had to come here," Daisy answered. "After what happened four years ago, I thought our old Digimon project had come to an end."

"That seems to be a common sentiment these days," the new arrival, Babel put in. The years seemed to have touched him little, no doubt augmented by the lack of hair on his head to turn gray. "Looks like we were all wrong."

"For better, or worse," Janyuu nodded. "Unfortunately, right now it appears to be for worse. Digimon are indeed back, and trouble has come with them."

"Surely we would have heard something about it by now," Daisy said, brow wrinkled. "Last time the whole world knew about it almost as soon as it became common knowledge."

"Obviously," Dolphin said, entering the room, "it hasn't become common knowledge yet. Three guesses as to why." For him, the passage of years was marked by streaks of gray hair among the brown.

"And the first two don't count," Janyuu chuckled wryly. Looking around the room he smiled faintly. "Who would have guessed that after all these years the Monster Makers would be reunited again?"

"We seem to be missing a couple of members," Babel corrected.

"Curly called," Janyuu informed him. "Her flight was delayed, but she should be here soon. As for the last two, well, they're part of why we're here."

"And why exactly are we here? You weren't too specific on the phone."

Janyuu cleared his throat and took a breath before beginning his explanation.

"As we all know, four years ago a seal was put into place to prevent transfers of more than basic data from the Digital World to the Real World. This meant that humans and Digimon were kept in their own separate worlds. We accepted that as the end, albeit an anti-climactic one, to Digimon. We were wrong. A couple of nights ago, there was an incident in a residential section of Shinjuku. Buildings were damaged, and some were even destroyed. Officially, it was due to a military test that went wrong, but a number of unofficial sources reported that it couldn't have been anything but a Digimon."

"Did you call us out here based on a few unofficial sources?"

"If that were all it was, I wouldn't have said anything. However, that was only the first in a string of occurrences. Last night, several residences received a visit from a Hypnos truck. Each one belonged to the parents of the 'Tamers', including my place. They were looking for Takato Matsuki."

"All right," Babel said, "I definitely do not like where this is going. What does Yamaki have to say about this?"

"That's where everything starts to massively fall apart. Yamaki, it seems, no longer has a position in Hypnos. Couple that with the fact that Shibumi has completely dropped off the map, and it paints one nasty picture."

"Tell me you at least have some good news!" Dolphin groaned.

"That depends," Janyuu said, "on what you can make of this."

He tossed a small device onto the table before him, and the others crowded around to see what it was. Picking the device up, Dolphin turned it over and over in his hands. It looked just like a standard pager, a point that Dolphin pointed out.

"When Hypnos came to my house," Janyuu explained, "they left with much of the contents of my son Henry's room. I managed to find this in a compartment under the floor."

Meanwhile, Dolphin had taken off the back cover with a screwdriver from his pocket and was examining the insides. "Off hand I'd say it's some sort of communication device," Dolphin said, "But from whom to whom is the question."

"In that case," Babel replied, "there's only one thing to do. Turn it on and hope someone's listening."

******

"Well," Takato said, "it all happened like this. Before I left for the Digital World, Henry gave me sort of a 'going-away' present, a device he said he hoped would one day allow us to communicate with each other. See, he and I were the only ones who knew that there was still a chance, albeit a slim one, that travel between the worlds could be restored.

"With that in mind, Guilmon and I wandered around the Digital World for several weeks. It wasn't long before we came across a small village of Digimon that was being terrorized by someone stronger. I couldn't just sit back and watch them all get destroyed, so we did the only thing we could and fought for them. He proved no match for us, and ended up fleeing. Fearing he would return, the inhabitants of the village asked us to stay.

"Word spread quickly that one of the Tamers was protecting a village, and Digimon started to come from all around. It's a little embarrassing, but we're sort of famous around the Digital World." Takato gave a small chuckle at this before continuing the story.

"The Digimon were more than happy to help build a place for me to live in exchange for my protection. While all this was happening, I received my first message from Henry, and later he was able to send me more, including cards and all the technology that you can see here. This place just kinda grew and evolved into what it is now. This is the closest thing to a city that the Digital World has ever seen. Who knows? Maybe it will only be the first."

"Man," Kazu said when Takato was finished, "it all sounds so surreal. I might not be able to believe it if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes."

"I find it a little hard to believe myself," Takato agreed. "Be that as it may, this place should work perfectly as a base of operations for us."

"All we need now is an idea of what to do first," Rika summarized. "Which brings us back to the original question..."

"Master Takato!" Gotsumon broke in, rushing into the room. "We've got some reports coming in about an incredibly powerful Digimon that has been spotted causing trouble near the caves to the west."

"Just how powerful are we talking about?" Henry asked. "Ultimate?"

"Well," Gotsumon said nervously, "it would seem from the reports that it's more like... Mega level."

"Mega level," Renamon restated. "Do you suppose it could be part of the invasion force?" If the entire force was that strong, did they even stand a chance? She reminded herself that she shouldn't think that way, but optimism came reluctantly in their position.

"Only one way to find out," Rika said, standing up from her chair. "Even if it's not, it's better if we don't risk it being recruited. At the very least, we can't just let it rampage." Either situation worked for her. If it was truly a Mega level Digimon, it could only be fought with another Mega level, like, say... Sakuyamon.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Kazu said. "Let's go out there and take that thing on!" After being so long without the excitement of being with his partner, Kazu was itching for some action.

"Back the truck up!" Rika interjected. "No offense to you or Guardromon, but you wouldn't last five seconds against a Mega."

"I can always provide backup, be a distraction. It worked against Beelzemon and D-Reaper."

"We need someone to stay behind and let Suzie know where we've gone," Henry told him. Though the thought of leaving Suzie behind worried him, he felt he had an obligation to help out, no matter what that amounted to.

"Kenta can do that!" Kazu answered.

"Says who?" Kenta protested. Glancing over at Henry, he hastily amended, "I mean... That is... I wanna..."

"We don't have time to argue," Takato decided. "Kazu, if you want to come then do so, just be careful. Kenta, you stay here with Suzie." Kenta's face fell, and Takato added, "Tell you what, you're in charge while I'm gone."

Kenta's chest puffed up with pride. "I won't let you down, Takato. Marine Angemon and I are ready to lay our lives on the line if need be."

Marine Angemon did a miniature double take at that last line, but sighed when he realized that the idea of power had gone to Kenta's head. "Right," he nodded.

"Now that that's all settled," Takato said, "it's time for us to go. You two ready?" he asked Henry, Rika and their partners.

Rika smirked in anticipation. "I've been ready for this for years."

"As have I," Renamon agreed. There was nothing remotely like the bond she felt with Rika as when they biomerged. No other feeling could come close.

"I'm pretty sure I remember how to do this," Henry said.

"Moumantai," Terriermon said, leaping onto Henry's shoulder. "It's just like riding a bike!"

"But you don't know how to ride a bike..." Henry said. "Forget it. Let's go!"

"You ready, Guilmon?" Takato asked. For him it hadn't been so long since the last time, but the thrill had yet to fade. Guilmon nodded eagerly, and they all headed out of the house.

"Don't worry about us!" Kenta called after them. "I'll hold down the fort!"

Once they were outside, Takato, Henry and Rika held their digivices out in front of them. In unison, they called "Biomerge Activate!"


	12. Episode 12: Emergence

"Renamon, Biomerge to..."

As Rika held her digivice, shining with a bright light, over her heart, she felt her body melt away into nothingness. The gap left was quickly filled as she felt her consciousness merge with Renamon's. Their combined body experienced a sensation as if passing through water, the ripples of which gently molded it into a new form, that of the graceful mystic warrior...

"Sakuyamon!"

"This light," Rika said softly, her voice awed, "I had almost forgotten how warm it was." It filled every pore of her being, yet it was never overwhelming; it merely held the promise of never ending joy.

"Yes," Renamon agreed, "it has been too long since we've felt like this. Now, once again, we are one."

******

"Terriermon, Biomerge to..."

Henry's digivice, raised high by his head, flared brightly and his physical being dropped away. For a moment that seemed infinitely longer than the span of a blink of an eye it actually was, it seemed he was floating in a vast void. The void vanished, filled with Terriermon's strength as his body broke apart and reformed into the walking battle platform known as...

"Mega Gargomon!"

"Such a feeling of strength," Henry said, flexing the muscles he jointly had. "Right now I feel like we could do anything." Their new form contained an abundance of sheer power right at his fingertips.

"Told you it was like riding a bike," Terriermon told him. "Now, we have the power to protect our loved ones."

******

"Guilmon, Biomerge to..."

One second, as Takato brought his glowing digivice near his heart, he was Takato, and the next second he simply wasn't. This was quickly followed by the sense of being something more that he used to be as he joined with Guilmon. Their strength burst outward, altering their form accordingly to become the heroic knight...

"Gallantmon!"

"I know we've done this more recently than the others," Takato told Guilmon, "but something about biomerging along with everyone else makes it feel even better." Now, all of his friends were reunited after many years and, though it started off with a fight, he wouldn't have changed anything.

"Now that you and I, and all of us, are fighting together, Takatomon," Guilmon answered, "nothing will come between us."

******

"Do you think we'll ever be able to do that?" Kazu asked his partner. Guardromon could do nothing but shrug his shoulders with a loud creak.

"Well," he replied, "I'm afraid I really don't know. I would rather like to find out what we'll become."

For a brief second, the memory of Black War Kazumon came into his mind's eye, but he shook it away. "If I remember my old cards right, there were several things that Andromon digivolved into. Maybe we'll become one of those?"

"We'll just have to wait and see when the times comes," was all Guardromon could say.

"I bet it'll be cool as hell though..."

******

"We all ready to go?" Gallantmon asked. Sakuyamon and Mega Gargomon nodded. Climbing onto Guardromon's back, Kazu nodded as well, and they were off.

"What's the plan?" Henry asked from inside Mega Gargomon.

"First we have to determine its intentions," Takato suggested. "For all we know, it may be friendly."

"Our luck doesn't run that way," Rika said with a slight grunt. "We should be expecting a fight."

"Well, it looks like we'll find out soon," Takato told everyone. "The caves are just ahead."

The Tamers topped a rise in the scenery and the caves came into site. The area was mostly barren with only a few scruffy shrubs poking out of the rocks. Several caves of various sizes and shapes dotted the cliff wall, and it was in front of one of the larger ones that a beastly looking Digimon was raging.

As the Tamers closed the distance, the strange Digimon began to resemble something close to humanoid. Its body resembled that of a human, though it seemed unable to straighten up. Long tatters of what might be cloth were draped across its back. The major feature that differentiated it from a human was its mismatched arms. One was muscular, yet rough, while the other was much too large for its body, looking like a ghastly, clawed club. It was with this faintly metallic arm that it was raking the surface of the rocks, causing the occasional shower of stones.

"Fight me!" it yelled, striking stone once again and causing a shower of sparks. "Come out and fight me!"

Rika flinched backwards from the sound of its voice. It wasn't in fear; rather, it was in shock. Something about the voice...

"Who are you?" Gallantmon called out. The Digimon turned to face him, a baleful look in its red eyes.

"You must be my enemy," it said, mouth opening in what seemed to be a grin. "I like strong enemies. When I destroy them, I get even stronger!" With that, it let out a loud yell and charged towards the group, claw arm brought back to strike.

"Scatter!" Sakuyamon ordered. The strange Digimon's attack met empty ground as the Tamers spread out, surrounding it. Guardromon readied grenades as Kazu pulled out his digivice and brought up the analyzer.

"Says here that's Revenmon," Kazu reported. "Mega level, Virus type. The power of its Revenge Claw attack is matched only by its fervor for battle."

Revenmon demonstrated how right the analyzer was as, with a cry of "Revenge Claw!" it swung its glowing claws at Gallantmon. The heroic Mega managed to bring up his shield, and the two collided, each trying to overpower the other. Gallantmon brought his lance up, swinging it in a wide arc trying to catch the side of Revenmon's head. The other Digimon anticipated and ducked out of the way, slamming a shoulder into Gallantmon's unprotected side.

"_That cloth on its back..._" Rika thought to herself.

"Looks like we got our answer," Terriermon said, readying missiles. "That's definitely not friendly."

"Gallantmon!" Kazu yelled out as the knight went down under the attack. "We've got to help him out, Guardromon!"

"Right! Guardian Barrage!" The twin ports on Guardromon's wrists opened up, and several whistling grenades shot towards Revenmon. Whirling, Revenmon brought up his claw to guard, but the impact still pushed him backwards and raised a large cloud of dust.

"Thanks, Kazu!" Gallantmon called out, preparing for another attack.

"_Mismatched arms?_"

Mega Gargomon beat him to the attack, however, as various ports and pods opened all over his body. "Mega Barrage!" A salvo of missiles and machine gun fire arced towards the crouching Revenmon.

"Revenge Claw!" Revenmon thrust its long bladed claws into the ground, and a multitude of glowing spikes erupted from the ground, prematurely exploding the warheads and deflecting the shots.

"Nothing's working!" Mega Gargomon called out in frustration.

"_It can't be..."_

"Rika?" Renamon asked. "Is something wrong?" They were still in a defensive position after avoiding the initial attack

"Rika!" Gallantmon shouted as Revenmon crouched, looking for the next opening to attack. "How about a little help?"

"Revenmon seems familiar somehow," Rika said quietly, trying to process her thoughts. "Like something we've seen before..."

"What do you mean?" Renamon asked, taken aback. "I know I've never seen anything like Revenmon. Rika?"

"We have to start working together!" Mega Gargomon told Gallantmon. "I'll distract him with more missiles while you come around back."

"Right," Gallantmon nodded, readying his lance. He glanced at Sakuyamon briefly, but she hadn't moved.

Suddenly, something clicked inside Rika's head and she began to realize. "It's all wrong... The cloth on its back should be red and its body should be blue..."

"Mega Barrage!" Another spread of missiles shot off at Revenmon who dodged out of the way, bringing up its misshapen arm once again. It was enough opening for Gallantmon to circle around and power up his attack, "Lightning Joust!"

Rika replayed everything that Revenmon had said, noticing clearly for the first time the dual quality of it, as if it were two beings in one body... If that were true then... "Not Revenmon..." she said softly.

Gallantmon's energy lance crashed into Revenmon's back, sending it crashing face first into the ground and several meters across it. Its large arm clawed the ground as it struggled into a crouch, head turning between his opponents.

"It shouldn't be Revenmon!" Sakuyamon shouted over the battle. "It should be Justimon! Ryo!"

******

Kenta paced back and forth in the room that served as the brain center of Takato's little operation. It was dreadfully boring have to stay behind while the others went for some excitement. At least Suzie wasn't giving him a headache, especially after finding the large garden in the courtyard. Kenta glanced into the courtyard and saw Suzie lying in a clearing next to Lopmon, staring at the Real World sphere high in the sky.

His thoughts, too, strayed to the Real World and everyone he had left. He supposed his parents were nearly out of their minds with worry, but he found his thoughts lingering on Alice mostly. When he had first spotted the girl in his class, he hadn't figured that he had a chance with her. Sure, she wasn't as unobtainable as the popular girls in the school, but confidence had never been one of his strong suits. Kenta chuckled at the memory of the first time she had spoken to him.

It had been during a slow time in class and he had pulled out a slip of cardboard sealed in plastic from his binder. Emblazoned on it was the picture of Marine Angemon; in fact, it was a Digimon card that Kenta had kept. He was wondering what might have happened to his old partner when Alice leaned over.

"I haven't seen one of those in forever," she said in his ear. Kenta blushed slightly and attempted to hide the card once again.

"Well, ahh," he said quickly, "I, umm, just found it on the ground, you know..."

"In that good condition?" Alice replied. "Those lost their popularity a long time ago."

Kenta opened his mouth to make something else up, but he closed it again and hung his head. "I know, now you're going to tell everybody that I still have Digimon cards."

"Well, actually," Alice corrected him, "I just find it interesting. Digimon stopped being cool when the world found they were real, but you still carry a card with you. Why?"

"It just reminds me of something, someone," Kenta admitted. "So, I keep it around."

"Reminds you...? You don't mean... Did you have a partner too?" Alice asked.

Kenta had to balance to keep from falling out of his chair. "Too??"

"Well," Alice said with a slight blush of her own and her eyes downcast, "he might have been under better circumstances, but as it was I only call him that."

"What happened to him?" Kenta wondered. Alice was about to reply when the sensei broke in.

"Alice McCoy! Kenta Kitagawa! Kindly save your conversation for later!"

Quickly, Alice and Kenta snapped back into their seats with a mumbled, "Yes, sensei."

The sensei returned his attention to his desk and Alice leaned over one more time. "I'd like you to meet me after class. Maybe we could talk some more?"

Kenta nodded; he was pleasantly surprised that he had made it through a conversation with a girl without falling all over himself.

A loud beeping ripped Kenta back to the present, and he looked around for the source. The source was in fact a large red light on one of the control panels. A Datamon moved its fingers over several buttons and turned to Kenta.

"It would appear we have an incoming message," Datamon said, "but I'm not sure who it's from."

"Umm, answer it, I guess," Kenta suggested. Datamon pressed another button and a voice sounded from a speaker nearby.

"Is anyone there?" it asked. "Can anybody hear me?"

Not knowing what else to do, Kenta pressed the button handily marked 'send'. "I can hear you, can you hear me?"

"I hear you," the voice responded. "Who is this?"

"You called here," Kenta told the speaker. "That's my line."

"Fair enough. My name is Janyuu. Janyuu Wong."

******

"What did you just say?" Kazu asked, eyes wide in shock. "Did you just say that Revenmon is Ryo?"

"How can that be?" Henry asked. "Ryo's back in the Real World. Didn't you say he was backpacking?"

"That's what I was told," Rika said in her defense. "I don't think I'm wrong though. Revenmon's voice, it sounds like a double voice, like when Renamon and I talk as Sakuyamon. Look at him; he looks like some twisted parody of Justimon."

"But why would Ryo be attacking us? We're his friends."

"Maybe," Henry suggested, "it's like when Guilmon digivolved into Megidramon. Perhaps he's forgotten who he really is."

"The real Ryo has to still be in there," Rika said, "we just have to wake him up."

With that, Sakuyamon slowly stepped forwards towards Revenmon. Momentarily confused by this change in tactic, the beastly Mega only shifted warily.

"Ryo!" Rika continued. "Big brother, it's me. You have to remember me!"

"Big brother?" Takato repeated.

Revenmon growled as Sakuyamon continued to advance and started to speak with difficulty. "R... R... Ri... RI!" Suddenly his eyes narrowed and he launched an attack. "Revenge Claw!" Sakuyamon quickly brought her staff up, but the force of the blow quickly powered through the block and she went sprawling to the ground.

"Sakuyamon!" Gallantmon cried out, positioning himself to rush over to her aid.

Instead, Sakuyamon got to her feet herself.  Despite several large gouge marks in her breastplate, she waved off any assistance.

"Are you absolutely sure about this, Rika?" Renamon winced, feeling a drop in power.

"Definitely," Rika said, wincing as well from the shared pain. "I know Ryo's in there somewhere."

"Urrgh," Kazu grunted in frustration. "I don't know what to do. On one hand, Revenmon is hurting all of my friends, but on the other, that's supposed to be Ryo... What should I do?"

"Ryo," Rika continued as Sakuyamon advanced again slowly. "You have to remember me, I'm your little sister..."

Revenmon only growled once again and leapt to attack. One more time Sakuyamon brought up her staff to block. The blow never landed, as Revenmon was slammed out of position by a full body charge from Guardromon.

"Guardromon, what..." Kazu began.

"Kazu!" the bronze robot yelled back. "It doesn't matter if that's Ryo! He's hurting our friends so the only thing we can do is hope to knock a little sense into him!"

Slowly, Kazu nodded in agreement. "You know, Guardromon, I don't think I could have put it better myself. Let's knock some sense into him together!"

Two words slowly formed on the screen of Kazu's digivice.

"Biomerge Digivolution."


	13. Episode 13: The Next Biomerge

Janyuu and the rest of the Monster Makers sat at their table in the lecture hall, staring at what was definitely a communication device. To their surprise, it had managed to contact someone, though they weren't sure whom.

"Janyuu Wong?" the voice on the device said, echoing the older man's introduction. To his surprise, the voice added, "Oh! You're Henry's dad, aren't you?"

Murmurs of surprise passed through the gathered members and Janyuu started. "How do you know my son?" he asked whoever was on the other end.

"He's a friend of mine," the voice said, pausing. "Oh... you don't know who this is, do you? I'm Kenta. Kenta Kitagawa."

"Kenta?" Janyuu repeated. "What's going on? Where are you? Where are Henry and Suzie and everybody else?"

For a few seconds, no response came, and then, "Well, why don't I start at the beginning..."

******

Kazu glanced at his digivice then nodded. "Right!" Bringing his now glowing digivice by his side, he thrust it into the air and cried "Biomerge Activate!"

It seemed as though Kazu was falling through molasses as the process began and his body dissolved into data. Kazu felt like he wanted to scream, but his mouth refused to open. Fortunately, the panic he felt lasted for merely a moment, as he felt a comforting presence surround him that his brain slowly recognized as Guardromon.

"Guardromon, Biomerge to..."

Piece by piece Guardromon's body broke up and reformed. Thick bronze armor was replaced with white flesh and, in some places, fine silver mail. Silver banded his now humanoid legs and arms and golden hawk-heads appeared to protect the knees. The armor was joined by a golden half-shield on one wrist and a thick silver bracer around the other. Winged boots of gold and silver as well as a silver hawk helmet completed the armor, while a sword on his hip provided armament. Twin wings sprouted from his back and a golden falcon perched on the bracer as he and Kazu joined to become...

"Valkyrimon!"

"Whoa!" Henry exclaimed. "Is that their combined Mega form?" As if in response, an analyzer appeared in a corner of Mega Gargomon's sight. "Valkyrimon. He's definitely Mega level, and a Mythical Warrior type Digimon to boot. Says here he uses his agility and the Chrome Digizoid falcon on his wrist to overwhelm his opponents."

"See!" Kazu crowed. "I told you it'd be cool as hell! So this is what it's like to Biomerge," he added quieter. "C'mon, buddy, let's go stop Revenmon from hurting our friends!"

Revenmon seemed unsure about what to do about this latest development, but it recovered quickly. "You may look different, but you're still my enemy! Revenge Claw!" Raising its huge arm, the beastly Mega charged at Valkyrimon.

The falcon on Valkyrimon's wrist flapped its metal wings and screeched loudly. Nodding, Valkyrimon tossed the bird into the air and turned towards the attacking Revenmon. A smile formed on the face below the mask and then...

Rika gasped loudly as Valkyrimon seemed to suddenly disappear, causing Revenmon's attack to hit empty ground. Confused, it looked around, trying to locate its enemy. It looked up just in time to catch the falcon dive into its face, clawing and scratching. Revenmon tried to bat it out of the air with his regular arm, but the bird was far too agile, deftly avoiding each blow.

Meanwhile, Valkyrimon had used his speed to move well out of the way of the attack in the blink of an eye.

"Damn!" Kazu exclaimed, unable to believe the speed at which they had moved. "That's some speed we've got!"

"Aren't we a little far away?" Guardromon asked carefully.

"It's all good," Kazu reassured him. "Just needed a little time to think." He looked over the body that he and Guardromon shared, looking for something to attack with. His eye fell to the sword on his hip and he laughed loudly. "Ah-ha! Sweet!" He pulled the sword from its scabbard and gave it a couple of experimental swings. "Now, back to the battle!"

"Where did he go?" Sakuyamon asked as Revenmon continued to struggle with the falcon. She hadn't been able to track Valkyrimon's movement or see where he had ended up.

"He just... disappeared!" Gallantmon said, confused. A motion in the corner of his eye caught his attention and he turned to see Valkyrimon back in the battlefield, wielding a long sword.

"Revenmon!" the warrior Digimon called. The falcon stopped its attack and wheeled back up into the air, circling in wide arcs. Revenmon turned to face Valkyrimon, scratches crisscrossing his head. "Over here!"

"Rrrraugh!" Bellowing wildly, Revenmon charged madly once again. "Revenge Claw!" This time, Valkyrimon crouched and readied his sword.

"If I remember correctly," Kazu said, "this blade is called... Fenrir's Sword!" As soon as he named the weapon, air swirled around the edge and a whitish-blue aura formed.

Valkyrimon matched Revenmon's charge with one of his own, reversing his grip on the sword. Each one overshot the other, Revenmon's claw slashing and Valkyrimon's blade flashing. Valkyrimon landed in a crouch, blade held out to the side and Revenmon ended with his claws held in front of him. Suddenly, the miasma around Valkyrimon's sword winked out and he straightened up. Turning back to Revenmon and the others, he called out "Now THAT was cool!"

Revenmon turned as well and took a step forward, growling menacingly.

"But," Gallantmon said, "You didn't hit him, did you?"

"You don't watch enough anime!" Valkyrimon yelled back. He smirked as a deep gash became visible across Revenmon's chest, edges spiked with ice crystals. Groaning loudly, Revenmon doubled over, clutching his normal arm to his chest.

"See?" Valkyrimon said. "I nailed... him." The last word was preceded by a loud grunt and followed by Valkyrimon dropping his sword and clutching his chest as well. He had not escaped unscathed after all as he keenly felt three slashes across his stomach.

"Guess I got a little overconfident," Kazu said slowly, one eye closed as he winced from the pain. "Sorry about that, Guardromon."

"I'll live," Guardromon responded. "At least we got him worse than he got us."

"Valkyrimon!" Sakuyamon called out. "Is it bad?"

Valkyrimon straightened back out, a lopsided half-smile on his face. "I'll live, but we better end this as soon as possible." From the sky above, a screeching could be heard, coming from the still circling falcon. Valkyrimon tilted his head as if he were listening and nodded quickly. "I understand. Everyone! I'm going to try to end this with my next attack, but I need him to be held in place for a few seconds!"

"You know, that just might work," Rika said to herself. "Guys, can you provide a momentary distraction?"

Henry thought for a second and came up with a possible plan. "Gallantmon!" Mega Gargomon said. "I'm going to fire another round of missiles at him!"

"Won't he just dodge or detonate them early again?" Gallantmon asked.

"Not if we detonate them first! A shot from your lance should do the trick."

Gallantmon nodded readying his lance. Multiple ports opened up on Mega Gargomon as he readied a third salvo of missiles. Sakuyamon brought her staff to the ready and Valkyrimon crouched.

"Right," Sakuyamon nodded. 

"Ready..." Mega Gargomon started.

"Set..." Gallantmon answered.

"Go!" Valkyrimon shouted, leaping into the air and using his wings to stay aloft.

"Mega Barrage!" "Lightning Joust!" "Spirit Strike!"

The missiles arced from Mega Gargomon towards Revenmon, who brought up its claw to block. It didn't get a chance to, however, as Gallantmon's attack went through the missiles, raising a large cloud of dust and fire. Through this Sakuyamon's fox spirits flew, wrapping around Revenmon's arms and legs. The beastly Mega struggled, momentarily unable to break free. This was the opening Valkyrimon was looking for.

Raising his arm, hand outstretched, he called out "Aurvandil's..." The falcon's body flashed brighter gold for a second before shaping its body into a large arrowhead. "Arrow!" Valkyrimon finished, throwing his hand down towards Revenmon. The falcon arrow followed his gesture, leaving an energy wake in the air as it streaked towards its target.

Revenmon howled in pain as the attack found its mark directly in the center of its chest and continued to press on.

"Got him!" Valkyrimon grinned, landing softly on the ground, arm pinned to his chest once again.

"Ryo..." Sakuyamon said softly.

The glowing arrow continued its press, continuing to pierce fully through Revenmon's body. It then reverted to a falcon that returned to perch on Valkyrimon's wrist. "Good job," he said, stroking its metal chest with a finger.

Revenmon's impaled body fell backwards, data leaking out of the hole through its chest.

"No, Ryo!" Rika cried, Sakuyamon running towards the now defeated Mega. As she came closer, Revenmon's body was surrounded by a bright white glow, a glow that shrank and separated into two forms, those of Ryo and Monodramon.

Sakuyamon was surrounded by a similar glow as Rika released the Biomerge and became herself again. Renamon hung back while Rika ran forward to pick up Ryo's unmoving head.

"Please be all right," she said, trying to fight back tears. "C'mon, speak to me."

Rika gasped as Ryo's eyes fluttered open and he replied weakly, "Been a while, hasn't it, sis?"

******

"And so, here we are in the Digital World once again," Kenta said, finishing the retelling of what had happened. Afterwards there was a period of silence while both sides tried to digest the entirety of the past few days. Kenta still couldn't quite believe it, and he had lived it.

"So, everybody is with you?" Janyuu asked. "Let me speak to Henry."

Kenta hesitated before answering, "He's kinda out right now. Him, Rika, Takato and Kazu went to investigate a Digimon."

"All right, let me talk to Suzie."

Kenta looked around and spotted Gotsumon. "Could you go get Suzie? She's in the courtyard." Gotsumon nodded and made his way out of the room. Back to Janyuu, he said, "Umm, do you think you could tell all of our families what's happened to us? I'm sure they're all worried."

"Of course."

"And, uhh, I also have a personal request," Kenta said rather nervously. "There's this girl I've been seeing, could you tell her I'm all right? Her name is Alice McCoy."

"What was that about my granddaughter?" a second voice broke in.

"Oh look!" Kenta said quickly. "Here's Suzie!"

"Wait! You said something about my granddaughter!" the second voice said again.

"Dad?" Suzie asked. "Is that you?"

"Suzie," Janyuu said with a sigh of relief. "It's good to know that you're all right."

"Dad," Suzie smiled. "Sorry I left again without telling you where I was going."

"Well, Henry's with you, so it's not so bad. Just... be home for dinner all right?"

"I will," Suzie nodded, smiling sadly. "And Dad? I know I don't say it much, but... I love you."

"And I love you, sweety."

There was silence for several seconds until...

"I want to know what he said about my granddaughter," the second voice reiterated louder.

Suzie turned to look at Kenta who could only blush and look away. Suzie's smile became warmer and she laughed softly.

******

"Ryo, are you all right?" Kazu said, rushing over to the fallen boy. His Biomerge with Guardromon had ended and he was himself once again. "I didn't hurt you too badly, I hope."

"It'll take more than that to get rid of me," Ryo answered with a weak grin. He levered himself up to a sitting position and shook his head to clear it. "So, how'd you guys get here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Henry told Ryo. "Have you been here all this time?"

"Well," Ryo said. "I left the Real World for here a while ago, I'm just not sure how long ago. The strange thing is that when I wanted to go back, I just couldn't seem to be able to. Urrgh," he grunted, rubbing his eyes. "Last thing I can remember was biomerging, but I guess something went wrong. How long have I been here?"

"At least four years," Rika told him. "A lot has happened since you left. A whole hell of a lot. C'mon, there's a place we can go to talk." She helped Ryo get to his feet and the boy put his arm around her shoulder.

"There's just one thing that puzzles me," Takato said. "That whole 'little sister, big brother' thing. Is there something we don't know?"

Ryo and Rika looked at each other and started to chuckle. "Naw, that's just a little inside joke with us. I keep saying that Rika is like the little sister I never had." Ryo pulled his arm in tighter.

"Yeah," Rika answered, "and Ryo's like the big brother I never wanted." She lightly socked Ryo in the gut and the boy grunted.

"Easy, I'm still a little sore," Ryo protested.

"Don't look now," Renamon broke in, "but I think somebody's watching us."


	14. Episode 14: Humanity and Divinity

Sure enough, several pairs of glowing eyes were visible from one of the cave mouths, the one that Revenmon had been clawing at.  Though they didn't appear to be threatening, the effect was unnerving.

"You can come out now," Takato finally said.  "That guy won't be bothering you any more."

Two sets of eyes suddenly raised a lot higher and the source of them became visible.  A pair of very large orange dinosaurs appeared from the inside of the cave, clearly marked by the brown helmet-like bones on their head as Greymon.  Several small dinosaurs stepped out behind them, warily, which Takato recognized easily as Agumon.

"Human children," one of the Greymon rumbled.  "Certainly a strange sight in the Digital World.  Might you be those 'Tamers' I've heard about?"

"Our reputation precedes us," Henry mused.  "Yes, that we are."

"Your reputation doesn't precede you as much as the bounty on your heads," the other Greymon answered.  Meanwhile, the Agumon had gathered in a circle near Guilmon, and they were talking excitedly.

"Bounty?" Kazu repeated.  "There's a bounty on us Tamers?"

"A rather hefty one as well," the first Greymon confirmed.  "If it weren't for the little ones," it said, glancing at the Agumon, "it might be tempting.  As it is..."

"Glad to hear it," Rika said flatly.  "What exactly are the details of this bounty?"

"Bring proof of all of your deaths, mainly your 'digivices', and receive the reward."

"So," Terriermon asked, "how much are we worth?"

"They promise enough data to digivolve to Mega, as well as a place of honor among their ranks.  A generous reward to be sure, but if you were truly able to defeat that creature, one hard gained."

"Yes, but effective," Henry sighed.  "Now we'll have to deal with a lot of Digimon thinking they can earn it."

"Wait," Takato broke in.  "You said they wanted our digivices to be brought to them.  Where did they say to bring them?"

"One of the lesser planes of this world," one of the Greymon answered.  "Rumors have been saying that there have been Digimon gathering there for quite some time, powerful Digimon.  I'd be careful if you intend to go there."

"Thank you for your information," Takato said, bowing slightly.  "It's time we get going now."

"The least we could do," Greymon answered.  "Come now," he said to his pack, "we're leaving."

"So soon?"  One of the Agumon replied.

"Aww," another added.  "Bye, Guilmon!"

"Bye!"

"Bye everyone," Guilmon waved as the Agumon left.  He watched as they retreated into the distance, rushing to keep up with the Greymon.  Henry watched them leave, a curious look on his face.

"Make some new friends?" Takato asked when Guilmon returned to his side.

"Yeah," Guilmon said happily.  "They were all really nice."

"Come on everybody," Takato smiled.  "Let's head back."

******

"Well, this just keeps getting better and better," Babel said, sarcasm obvious in his voice.  "I am really feeling the lack of an inside man in Hypnos about now."

"Hypnos is making a bid for world power," Daisy said, hand on her chin.  "With an army of Digimon at their back and a monopoly on weapons capable of fighting them, they may well succeed."

"The question is," Janyuu sighed, "what now?  There seems to be so little we can do about it."

"Maybe little stuff will work," Dolphin suggested.  "Hypnos has flourished while out from the world's eye.  Spread enough rumors, and that name will become common once again.  It's a lot harder to work in the dark when there's that much light on you.  That and we can find ways to provide support to those on the front line."

"Well," Janyuu said, "Henry made a device that could send solid objects between the two worlds.  Hypnos confiscated the working one, but we might be able to build another one."

"It took Henry nearly a year to build one," Babel replied.  "What makes you think we can build another one in only a few days?"

"We have to," Dolphin told him.  "Those children have to fight for the world once again."

"Yes," Janyuu said, "but they're not children.  They never got a chance to be."

******

Jeri sat on a stone bench in the courtyard, chin in her hands, deep in thought.  It had been several hours since Takato and the others had left to investigate the Digimon and she had been there ever since.  Her thoughts were on Takato and the strained relationship that they had going, and they drifted into the past.

Jeri almost smiled at the memory of Takato in her head.  The way he was always so nervous around her was almost cute.  She had to admit that when Takato had admitted to liking her as more than a friend shortly after the D-Reaper incident, she couldn't help but feel the same way and she told him so.

From there, their relationship steadily progressed until they were officially going steady.  Jeri reached into a pocket and pulled out the ring that Takato had given her and turned it over in her hand.  It was a simple thing, but Takato had made it himself which only made it more special.

The ring held the last two promises that they had made to each other.  As their relationship advanced further, the unavoidable question came up.  Of course, neither of them had ever gone that far, but with the ring came a promise from Takato; a promise that their first time would be with each other.

Bringing back her hand, Jeri prepared to throw the old ring away as she had foolishly thrown the promise away, but a change of heart made her bring her arm down again.  She opened her hand and saw that the ring was bent slightly, another reminder of the promises: bent, but not utterly destroyed.

It wasn't very long after the promise was made that Takato was forced to leave for the Digital World forever.  Takato made a second promise on the ring to her that day, that he would eventually return.  But days stretched into weeks and then into months and years, and even years came and went, and still the promise was unfulfilled.

As time passed, so did Jeri's hope of ever seeing Takato again and complete both promises.  Then, in a moment of weakness, Jeri gave in and broke her end of the promise.  And for what?  She asked herself.  A few minutes of pleasure that cost her chance to share an eternal bond with Takato.

"How could I have let it happen?" Jeri sobbed softly.  "I can't even forgive myself, so why should I think Takato will forgive me?  I'm no good; I'm just a sl..."

"Don't even say that word!" Rika shouted at the girl.  "Don't you dare ever say that word!"

Jeri looked up at Rika, tears running down her face.  "But..."

"But nothing!" Rika interrupted.  "So you gave into temptation.  So what?  You're human, and humans make mistakes.  Lord knows I've made plenty in my lifetime, short as it's been.  I regret most of them, but that doesn't mean I go around beating myself up about them and calling myself dirty names."

"You don't know what this is like!" Jeri shot back.  "Takato meant everything to me and I just threw it all away for some guy I barely knew!  If that doesn't make me a, you know, then what does?"

Rika sat down on the bench next to Jeri and dropped her head into her hands.  "You think you're bad?  You're lucky.  You can at least count the number of guys you've been with on one hand.  Not me.  God, I can't even count the number of girls on one hand.  If anybody deserves to be called such a name, it's me.  Don't think nobody has ever called me one before, either."

"Rika, I didn't..."

Rika didn't let Jeri finish.  She lifted her head and said, "So, if you think I'm going to let a girl like you call herself that, you've got another think coming.  Jeri, you're the kindest, gentlest, sweetest soul I've ever known.  Like I said before, you're human, and humans make mistakes.  That old saying may go on to say that forgiveness is divine, but in that sense, I have no doubt Takato is the most divine of us all."

"How can I expect Takato to forgive me when I can't even forgive myself?"

"Jeri, everything that happened is in the past.  Let it go; don't let the past get in the way of what might be a wonderful future.  And it's not just your future, it's Takato's as well.  He's been in love with you all this time.  Not even being in two separate worlds could change that fact, so one or two little mistakes won't change it either.  Don't let your humanity get in the way of your divinity."

"Rika," Jeri began softly.  "Thank you."

Rika nodded slowly as Jeri got up from the bench and walked out from the courtyard.  As Rika sighed sadly, she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder, Renamon's.  Rika put her own hand on it and looked back into Renamon's face.  "You heard everything?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"I did not mean to eavesdrop," Renamon replied, "but..."

"No," Rika shook her head.  "I wanted you to hear that.  I wasn't faithful while you were away either."

Renamon sat down on the bench facing Rika and took the girl's hands into her own.  "None of that matters to me," she answered.  "I love you Rika, and nothing you or I may have done in the past will change that."

Rika smiled sadly. "I don't deserve someone as wonderful as you, Renamon."

"But that's not true," Renamon corrected.  "You were my first, and you will be my last.  That is what I give you and that is all I would desire in return."

"Sometimes, Renamon," Rika said finally, "I forget how divine you truly are."

"I'm only human."

******

Later that evening, Takato was in the central hall briefing Ryo on everything that had happened up to that point when Jeri entered the room.  Takato started to turn around to say something to her, but thought better of it and stayed where he was.  Jeri came to a stop behind Takato, hands clasped at her waist.

"Takato," she finally said.  "I need to talk to you.  Can we go some place private?"

"Uhhh, okay," Takato said.  Standing up, he said to Ryo, "If you'll excuse me."

"Of course," Ryo nodded.  "I was just about to head outside anyway."

"Umm," Takato said nervously once Ryo had left the room.  "Is my room all right?"

Jeri nodded, and Takato led her through the halls and up to a door in one of the larger hallways.  Takato made a motion and Jeri sat down on the edge of his bed, Takato sitting next to her.

"Jeri, I..." he started.  Looking down at her hands, he continued, "Hey, you're wearing the ring I gave you."

"Yeah," Jeri replied, "that's one of the things we need to talk about.  Do you... remember what you promised when you gave this to me?"

"What I promised?  Of course," Takato nodded.  "I could never forget that."

"Well," Jeri replied, her voice starting to break, "I... I... I'm sorry, Takato, but... I didn't keep my half of the promise."

"Jeri, what..." Takato began, but he cut himself off and lowered his eyes.  "Oh, you mean..."

Jeri quickly turned away, unable to look into Takato's eyes.  "I'm so sorry, Takato.  I never wanted to hurt you like this."

"I," Takato began, dumbstruck, "I don't know quite what to say..."

"Don't say anything," Jeri told him.  "I broke our promise, and I don't have any excuse for what I did.  That's why I've been avoiding you like this; that's why I said all the stuff I did."

Takato sat silent for several seconds just staring at the floor and then, "Did any of them mean anything to you?"

"Takato?" Jeri said, dumbstruck.  "What do you...?"

"The guys you were with... did you love them?"

"Takato, please," Jeri answered, trying to stand up.  Takato wouldn't let her and instead pulled her back into a sitting position, both hands on her shoulders.

"Answer me," Takato told Jeri, forcing her to look him in the eyes.  "Did you love them?  Did they mean anything at all to you?"

"No," Jeri sobbed, unable to look away.  "They didn't.  I didn't love them.  Please, Takato, I said I'm sorry..."

"What about me, Jeri?" Takato asked, voice harsh, though tears were forming in his eyes.  "I'd like to think I mean something to you.  Well?  Do I?"

"Yes," Jeri answered softly.  "You do.  I love you, Takato, but..."

"You see," Takato replied, voice softening, "that's just it.  Jeri, I made that promise to you from love.  You said it yourself; the other guys meant nothing to you.  Since they meant nothing, they might as well have been nothing.  We love each other; we mean something to each other; that's all that matters.  I won't let 'nothing' prevent 'something'."

"Takato..." Jeri started, but she was stopped by a gentle "Shhh" from Takato.

Reaching over, Takato brushed a tear from Jeri's eye.  "I love you, Jeri, with all my heart."

"With all my heart..." Jeri repeated softly.  She and Takato both leaned in and shared a lover's kiss, then another, and another...


	15. Episode 15: Thoughts of Past and Future

The next morning greeted the Tamers with another discussion about what the next step would be.  The fact that Takato was, of yet, not present caused a subtly raised eyebrow from Rika, although nobody thought anything of it.  That was, until Takato came walking into the room, a smile barely contained on his face.  "Good morning!" he said, cheerfully.  It was all Rika could do to not laugh; as it was, she managed to contain it to a knowing smile.

"Well," Henry said wryly.  "Somebody's in a good mood today."

"And why wouldn't I be?" Takato asked happily.  "Well," he added, sitting down, "besides the obvious.  What's the situation right now?"

"Well," Henry answered, "Those Greymon were able to point us somewhere in the right direction.  We've got some feelers out checking some of the lesser, outer dimensions of this world.  With any luck, we should find what we're looking for soon."

"Until then, we're stuck playing the waiting game," Rika sighed, getting up and turning to leave.  "Ah, well.  If you need me, I'll be in the courtyard or something."

Standing at the doorway, she turned back to Takato.  "Anyway, Takato?  I'm glad that you and Jeri finally 'made up'."  Laughing softly, she slipped the rest out of the doorway leaving behind a furiously blushing Takato and an enlightened Henry.

******

Still laughing under her breath, Rika passed through the grey stone halls and made her way into the grassy courtyard in the center of the complex.  Stretching her arms over her head and closing her eyes, she dropped onto the soft grass.

"So peaceful," she murmured to herself.  "Almost enough to make one forget everything that's going on..."

The feel of the soft grass and the sense of complete calm would have felt so much better to her if it had been under different circumstances.  She would give most anything to be lying there with Renamon and without having to worry about a future of battles and conflict, just being able to fully enjoy the situation.

"A future without battles..." Rika muttered absently to herself.

"It would be nice, wouldn't it?" a familiar voice responded.  Opening one eye, Rika looked over to see Ryo sitting on the grass next to her.  "A future without battles, I mean?"

"Ryo..." Rika began, levering herself into a sitting position.  "It's a nice dream, isn't it?" she said, a wistful look in her eyes.  "God, I sound like some silly little kid..."

"Not silly at all.  You want to hear my dream?" Ryo said, staring off into the distance.  "One day, someday soon if I'm lucky, there will be nothing holding me back.  No enemies to fight, just the endless plains before me.  Just... freedom... endless freedom..."

"There's just one thing," Ryo said after a few seconds of silence.  "In order to fulfill those dreams, we have to fight for them.  That's why I've been fighting and that's why I'll continue until one day I reach my dream."

"I suppose that's all any of us can do," Rika realized with a slight sigh.  "Keep heading down the path we're on and hope it leads to where we want it to go."

"If all else fails," Ryo said with a soft chuckle, "you can just boss it around until it does."

Rika sighed theatrically.  "Yeah, and you can just annoy it until it has no choice."

That brought the both of them a much needed laugh.  Ending with a small sigh, Rika closed her eyes and leaned over, resting her head on Ryo's shoulder.  "I missed you, bro..."

******

"So, what's up?" Rika asked, walking into what had become the meeting room for everyone.  She could only guess that they finally had a solid idea of where to go.  She, for one, was anxious to finish everything as soon as possible.  "You know where we're headed?"

"That's right," Henry told her.  "We've managed to pinpoint the plane we're looking for."

"Well then," Rika said, leaning over the back of her chair, "what are we waiting for?"

"We need to know exactly what we'll be up against before we start any sort of attack," Henry explained, reclining in his seat.  "That's why the first thing that we're doing is a reconnaissance mission."

Reconnaissance, Rika thought.  Get in, look around, and get out.  It wasn't exactly her style, but she supposed it was for the best.  Better than nothing, at the least.

"Exactly," Takato nodded.  "The plan is to go in, learn what we can and get out.  I'm definitely going, but I'll need a couple of others to go with me.  Any volunteers?"

"Stealth happens to be my specialty," Renamon answered, stepping forward.  "I'll go."

"Sounds good to me," Rika said, rising to stand next to her partner.  "Beats twiddling my thumbs here."

"Well, that's perfect for us, Marine Angemon," Kenta said, talking to the miniscule Mega on his shoulder.  Marine Angemon nodded enthusiastically.

"They'll never see me," he beamed happily.  Kenta moved over to stand with Rika and Renamon

"Well," Kazu spoke up, "I'm out.  Guardromon kinda sticks out like a sore thumb.  Besides, Ryo agreed to do some sparring with me; give me more experience fighting as Valkyrimon."

"I'm going to sit this one out as well," Henry said next.  "Ehh, there's some stuff I need to work out with my father and the rest of the Monster Makers."

"So, it's the three of us?" Rika summarized, looking around the room.  "In that case..."

Much to everybody's surprise, Susie and Lopmon stepped forward.  "I'm going too," Suzie said with determination.  "I can't just sit back here and do nothing any more."

"It's my Digital World too," Lopmon added.  "Even though I no longer truly serve Zhuqiaomon, I cannot forget my duty to my Lord."

"But..." Henry began, but he was cut off by his sister.

"Henry, big brother, please...  I... I'm tired of feeling useless," she explained, casting her eyes down to the ground.  "It's like I'm nothing but a burden around here.  I'm not asking to be on the front lines," she continued.  She looked up, tears faintly visible in the corner of her eyes. "I just want to be able to do something, ya know?"

"I..." Henry said after some length.  Scratching the back of his head, he slumped in his seat.  "There's no way I'm going to be able to talk you out of this, is there?" he finally sighed.

"Then, you mean..." Suzie said excitedly.  Henry nodded in response to the unasked question, and Suzie ran over to give him a hug.  "Thank you..."

"All right!" Takato exclaimed, standing up as well.  "Not that that's all settled, we'll be leaving as soon as we're all ready."

******

The communications device that the Monster Makers had come upon helped a little in researching an effective way to penetrate the ice wall separating the worlds, but a hesitance to completely dismantle the thing and possibly cut off even the slim connection between the two groups prevented any major discoveries.

The cover was detached from the communicator and its insides were clearly visible, but no further progress had been made.

"So this... does that, right?" Babel mumbled to himself.  "No... That does... nothing that I can see...  Are we absolutely sure this actually does a damn thing?" he grumbled louder.  Leaning back in his chair, he sighed.  "I'm starting to think that we've been listening to voices in our head."

"I know it's frustrating," Janyuu replied from a schematic he had drawn up, "but we need to figure it out.  Any luck on the coding front?"

"We're looking at literally several thousand lines of code," Dolphin answered.  "It's like finding a needle in a continental haystack."

"If there's one thing to say about our old friend Shibumi," Curly put in, "he can code one heck of an icewall."

As Janyuu sighed loudly, the comm. device crackled to life startling Babel.  "This is Henry.  Is anyone there?"

"Yeah," Janyuu answered into the still partly unassembled machine.  "We're all here."

"Great," Henry replied, "Because there's something I'd like to run past everybody."

******

"Try again," Justimon ordered, dropping back into a fighting stance.  His sparring opponent, Valkyrimon faced him and crouched lightly before vanishing once again.

Ryo sighed to his biomerge partner, Cyberdramon.  "He's... behind us again, isn't he?"

"To the right this time," Cyberdramon confirmed.  Ryo sighed again.

Their sparring match had begun in earnest, although Kazu's fighting experience was notably lacking.  The boy had yet to learn that speed meant nothing if it wasn't used properly.  Which reminded Ryo...

He quickly flipped his right fist up, connecting squarely with Valkyrimon's face.  Valkyrimon staggered backward, rubbing the sore spot.  "Man, that hurt," he grumbled.  Justimon half turned to face the other Mega.

"You're being too predictable," he advised.  "I know you're fast, that much is evident.  However, you can't rely on pure speed if the enemy can tell which direction you're coming from."

He dropped into a fighting stance once again, so did a sighing Valkyrimon.  "Again," Justimon ordered.  Once more, Valkyrimon vanished from sight.  Justimon turned in place, attempting to follow the rapid movements.

"Here he comes," Cyberdramon reported.  "Ahead and to the right."

"Is it possible that he's getting worse, not better?" Ryo frowned.  Turning to face Valkyrimon's very visible form streaking towards him, he cocked his right fist back, and shot it forward, jabbing for Valkyrimon's stomach... only to have his arm pass right through.  His momentary shock only deepened when he felt a sharp impact to the back of his head, the momentum causing him to a couple of steps forward.

"Not bad!" Justimon laughed.  Valkyrimon, now directly behind Justimon, chuckled proudly.  Justimon, however, wasn't finished.  He dropped quickly, sweeping one leg out behind him, taking Valkyrimon clean off the ground to land flat on his back.  "Tip number 2!" Justimon announced.  "NEVER let your guard down!"

From a perch above the pseudo battle site, Valkyrimon's falcon twittered softly.  "Great," the warrior Mega sighed.  "Even the bird is laughing at me."

Justimon extended a hand and pulled his sparring partner to his feet.  "Now that you've made contact," he continued, "it's time to get a little more serious.  Ready?"

Valkyrimon nodded and prepared for the next round of sparring.

******

"I don't think we've been given the right directions," Kenta remarked as he and the small recon group scanned the horizon for activity.  "There's nothing and no one here.  You see anything from up there, MA?"

Marine Angemon had taken up a position above their head to get a better view, although there had been nothing to view.  "Nothing!" he reported back.

Rika grumbled softly to herself.  They had been walking for quite some time, but so far they had found no trace of any sort of army or even a single Digimon.  "This is getting tiresome.  You'd think that there would be _something out here."_

"Which must mean something in itself," Renamon replied.  "It's highly unusual not to see even one Digimon in an area like this."

"You getting anything, Guilmon?" Takato asked his partner.  Guilmon was bent low to the ground, nose sniffing constantly at the ground.  Suddenly, he let out a large sneeze and rubbed at his snout with the side of his claws.

"Other than a lot of dust?" Guilmon answered.  "Not really.  Someone might have been here, but if so, it was quite a while ago."

"Maybe those Greymon were mistaken," Rika shrugged.  "Or lying.  Who knows?"

"Umm, you might wanna hold that thought," Kenta told his friends.  "You've seen something?" he asked his partner who spiraled down onto his shoulder.

"Yup," Marine Angemon nodded.  "That way."

"Finally," Rika sighed.  "Shall we?"

"Lead the way," Takato told Marine Angemon.

******

"What's on your mind?" Janyuu asked his son through the communicator.

"Well," Henry replied.  "First I had a question.  About the original Digimon program... did it include anything about gender?  You know, male and female?"

"No," Dolphin told him.  "We never got beyond the basics of the 'survival of the fittest' mentality before the funding for the project dropped out."

"I've been trying to figure out why our partners have genders," Henry said, chin in his hand.  "My first theory was that they were just imitating us, their partners, acting like us.  But then, everything with Rika and Renamon came up.  And then yesterday..."

"Wait, what about Rika and Renamon?" Janyuu asked.

Henry winced at his error.  "That's right; we never actually said anything about that...  Let's just say that it ties into what I saw yesterday."

"Which was?"

"Well, we met a pair of Greymon and several Agumon, and... I think the Greymon were a mated pair and that the Agumon were their young…"


	16. Episode 16: A New Enemy Appears

* * *

Author's note: Well, it certainly has been a long time! I know, I totally suck when it comes to updating. In fact, there's a distinct possibility that nobody will care about this fic anymore, though I sincerely hope that's not the case. At any rate, here's the long-awaited (maybe) next chapter!

* * *

"You can't be serious," the reply came through the communicator from Dolphin. "There was definitely nothing in the programming about mating."

"There's a chance Shibumi introduced that coding," Janyuu theorized, "But as far as I know, he only included basic evolution."

"But, if that's the case," Janyuu added, "then how can it be explained?"

"I don't really know," Dolphin admitted.

"I've been thinking a lot about all of this," Henry put in. "Like, when our partners first arrived, they certainly seemed to be male or female. At first I thought it was just my human perception, or possibly them imitating us."

"But now we've got Greymon mating," Dolphin summarized. "As well as whatever you're talking about with Rika and Renamon."

"Yeah, what is that anyway?" Janyuu asked. "If it ties in, it might be important."

Henry had to think about that for a second. On one hand, he didn't want to tell everybody, as Rika had kept it secret from even her best friends. But, on the other hand, it wasn't like he was gossiping. If it might help unlock the secrets of Digimon, though, he was willing to risk it.

"Well, keep in mind that we didn't find out about this for quite some time. Rika didn't tell us herself until just recently."

"It won't leave this room," Janyuu reassured him.

Henry took a deep breath. "Well, to put it as delicately as I can… Rika and Renamon are, well, lovers…"

Nothing but silence followed Henry's stunning announcement about the couple. Henry began to regret his decision to reveal everything, but he hoped nothing bad would come of it.

"I guess," Dolphin said finally, "that answers the question of anatomy…"

"As I can see it," Henry began, "Digimon are evolving more than any of us could have predicted. Digimon evolution isn't limited to bigger and stronger forms…"

"They're evolving beyond any sort of program imaginable," Janyuu realized. "They're evolving into biological beings…"

* * *

A lone figure was visible in the distance, but no more details could be made out by the humans. To a Digimon, however, the distance wasn't so great a problem, and Renamon could make out clearly just what it was.

"It's a Black War Greymon," she reported. "And from here it looks like he's waiting for something or someone."

"Let's try to get closer," Takato suggested.

Keeping as low as they could, the Tamers moved up until there was only a single ridge between them and the waiting Mega. If Black War Greymon was aware of their presence or approach, he didn't show it. Eventually, they were close enough that even the humans could clearly make it out.

"What do you suppose he's waiting for?" Kenta asked.

"Data Stream?" Marine Angemon piped up, pointing into the distance.

"Huh?" All eyes turned towards where the miniscule Mega was pointing. Sure enough, a purple beam was streaking along the surface of the Digital World, kicking up a small cloud of dirt. It was heading straight for Black War Greymon, but he made no move to get out of its way.

"Damn," Takato said. "You don't suppose he's leaving?"

Takato's worry was for nothing as, instead of picking Black War Greymon up, the Data Stream deposited something near the dark Mega before continuing on its way. It didn't take the eyesight of a Digimon to see that it was a man in a dark business suit. He brushed unseen dust off of his suit before turning to face Black War Greymon. When the Mega began to speak, Suzie turned to Lopmon.

"Can you hear what they're saying?" she asked.

"I'll try," Lopmon said, glad to be able to play a part. She perked up her ears, using them as a sort of directional microphone and reported the conversation.

* * *

"You'll just have to deal with my being late," the man replied scornfully. Black War Greymon scowled threateningly, but the man wasn't fazed. "I had… other matters to deal with in the Real World."

"So, what news do you have from our master?"

"The Tamers could be a bigger problem than we thought. Apparently, they have reunited with yet another of their comrades."

"Feh. So, they managed to get through to that Akiyama brat, did they? No matter, he shall be destroyed like all the rest."

"It will just require slight adjustments to our plan. However, we should be on the watch for more unforeseen circumstances."

"I believe we have some of those right now," Black War Greymon answered, eyes shifting to one side. "It would appear we have some guests."

* * *

"Shit," Rika cursed softly.

"He… can't mean us, can he?" Kenta asked hopefully. "Right?"

As if in response, Black War Greymon turned and looked up until he was facing the Tamers' exact hiding spot. He brought his hands to one side of his body, holding them a distance apart. "Gaia Destroyer!" Dark energy swirled in to form a large fireball between his outstretched arms and, in a pushing motion, he sent it towards the Tamers.

"Shit," Rika repeated, standing up and pulling a card from the holder on her hip. "You ready, Renamon?"

"As always."

"What are you going to do?" Suzie asked.

Rika brought the card up to her face, holding it between her fingers and closed her eyes. After a deep breath, she opened her eyes and the card was a bright blue. "This. Digimodify!" she called, sliding the card through the slot on her digivice. "Matrix Digivolution Activate!"

"Renamon, Matrix Digivolve to…"

A brilliant egg of light sprang into being around Renamon's body and, inside it, she began to change. Her outer layer of data was stripped away and her core changed shape, recreating her as Kyubimon. Kyubimon leapt into the air, her current form unable to handle the power that filled her from the blue card. The egg tightened around her new body, and she burst forth as the holy priestess, "Taomon!"

She lifted her arm, her sleeve sliding down to reveal the symbol that she pulled out of the air. "Talisman Spell!" A shimmering shield formed around the Tamers and just in time to meet Black War Greymon's attack.

"C'mon, you can do it, Taomon," Rika said, gritting her teeth.

"Too… much… energy," Taomon grunted, the effort of maintaining the shield driving her to one knee.

"Crap," Kenta said. "Uhh… Oh! Marine Angemon, help her out!"

"Right!" Marine Angemon nodded. "Kahuna Waves!" He blew a large blue heart from his mouth, meeting and reinforcing Taomon's shield.

With one last effort, Taomon rapidly expanded the shield, vaporizing both it and the Gaia Destroyer. Breathing heavily, Taomon fell to her knees, her body slumped. Rika knelt next to her, placing an arm around the priestess's shoulder. Taomon smiled and nodded. "That… took a lot… of energy," she got out. "I'll… be all right… soon."

"Glad to hear that," Takato said, stepping up to the top of the ridge, Guilmon following quickly after. "Suzie, Kenta, you two stay here. I'll take care of Black War Greymon."

"No can do," Kenta replied with a smirk. "I didn't come all this way just to sit in the nosebleed section."

"I'm going too," Suzie agreed. "I'm a part of this team as well."

Takato grumbled deep in his throat, the sound coming out almost like a growl. He looked to Rika for help, but she nodded. Takato sighed in resignation. "All right, you two can come. But! You're only there for backup, got it?"

Kenta and Suzie both nodded, and Takato sighed again. He moved forward, sliding down the side of the ridge, Kenta and Suzie following quickly behind.

* * *

"Heh," Black War Greymon laughed as Takato faced him. Suzie and Kenta stood a short distance away, Marine Angemon hovering nearby, a rare serious look on his face. Lopmon glared warily, but nobody moved. "Your defenses are good at least. No less than what I would expect from the heroic Tamers!"

"That was a cheap shot," Takato accused, "and you know it. Heh. I don't suppose it matters, since you won't get another chance."

"I don't need cheap shots to dispose of the likes of you," Black War Greymon sneered, drawing back his claws. "Feh, you won't even be a warm-up for my real opponents."

"Oh? And who might they be?"

"It's not worth the time explaining, as soon it won't matter to you. Now, come, show me your true strength!"

"As you wish," Takato smirked, pulling out his digivice. "Biomerge Activate!"

As he brought the digivice over his heart, he felt his being flow into Guilmon's, their two spirits merging. A new form emerged, a vessel shared by their strengths, that of the armored Holy Knight, "Gallantmon!"

"You wished for my true power? Well here it is!" Gallantmon brought his lance and shield up, readying them to attack.

"How disappointing," Black War Greymon sighed. With that, he launched himself into a charge, one clawed gauntlet drawn back to strike.

Gallantmon met his charge with one of his own, bringing his lance up to bear. He thrust it forward, aiming for Black War Greymon's chest, but the dark Mega was ready. He knocked the lance to one side with a sweep of his arm, his other claw driving for Gallantmon's chest. The Holy Knight quickly brought his shield up for defense, Black War Greymon's claws scraping noisily but ineffectively across the surface. Gallantmon's lance flicked back into position, the tip streaking for Black War Greymon's face.

With a grunt, Black War Greymon threw his upper body back, the lance whistling a short distance from his head. Gallantmon's attack didn't end, and he brought his weapon quickly down in a slashing motion across Black War Greymon body. He jumped backwards, landing in a crouch on the ground. He looked down at his armor, tracing a shallow groove across his chest caused by the lance.

"Ha! Not bad! Not bad at all!" Black War Greymon laughed. "You might be a decent warm-up after all!"

"Do you wish to talk," Gallantmon replied derisively, "or do you wish to fight?"

"If you are in such a rush to die," Black War Greymon replied with a slight laugh, "then who am I to stand in your way…"

Slowly, he and Gallantmon began to circle each other, warily watching for any sign of an opening. The man in the suit watched impatiently a short distance away, arms crossed in front of his body. Suzie and Kenta watched the battle as well, Kenta shaking his head slowly. "Kinda makes me want to rethink fighting…"

Gallantmon's lance suddenly dipped, and Black War Greymon took it as a cue to attack, rushing in with extended claws. He was met with an attack as Gallantmon quickly brought his lance up in a quick slash. Black War Greymon sidestepped, and the attack managed only to carve a shallow rut in the ground behind the dark Mega.

Black War Greymon grinned as he attacked, Gallantmon's upraised arm exposing his unprotected side, at which the dark Mega struck. Grunting, Gallantmon twisted his body out of the way quickly enough that it was only a near hit, but he still winced as the claws raked across his side. He quickly moved his head to one side as well, as Black War Greymon's other claw punched for his face. He dodged another punch and fell back, trying to bring his shield up for defense. Ducking under a slice, Gallantmon pushed his shield up, trying to push Black War Greymon away rather than strike. The maneuver worked as Black War Greymon skidded backwards across the ground, quickly pulling himself back into a fighting stance.

* * *

Back on the ridge, Rika watched the battle as best she could, although most of their movements bordered on too fast for her eyes to follow. "Man, there's some crazy stuff going on down there. I don't think I've ever seen such an intense fight."

"No," Taomon agreed, looking up from where she was sitting cross-legged on the ground. "The amount of sheer power both of them are putting out is staggering. Their skills right now are about evenly matched, but neither of them is giving it everything they have."

"You mean… the real fight hasn't even begun yet?"

"I'm afraid not. As it stands right now, Black War Greymon seems to have a larger reserve of energy than Gallantmon."

"Now you tell me that we might not win?" Rika said in exasperation.

"I did not say that," Taomon corrected. "Black War Greymon might have the overall advantage right now, but… I've been sensing something odd inside Gallantmon for some time."

"Something odd?" Rika asked, one eyebrow raised. "What do you mean?"

"Inside Gallantmon I can sense the presence of both Takato's and Guilmon's spirits, but, in addition, I can feel a third, but it appears to be sealed away."

"A slumbering strength inside Gallantmon, eh?" Rika said. "I wonder what that could be…"

* * *

Inside Gallantmon, Takato breathed quickly, trying not to favor his injured side. "This is crazy," he told Guilmon. "Black War Greymon is one seriously tough opponent. I don't even know if we can win this one, buddy."

"I know," Guilmon answered. "He's stronger than anyone we've ever fought."

"But," Takato grinned, "I honestly can't remember when I've been more excited!"


	17. Episode 17: Dual Battles

Valkyrimon's sword once again met empty air as Justimon evaded his attack. Earlier, such a move would have caused him some concern and perhaps a little frustration, but at this late point in his training, he was well prepared for just such a thing. He was prepared as well to swing his blade up to deflect the slice Justimon aimed at his shoulder. The two weapons, one brilliant Chrome Digizoid, the other pure energy, clashed in a miniature shower of sparks.

Wasting no time, Valkyrimon turned the block into an attack of his own, slicing for Justimon's chest. The blue warrior stepped around, and Valkyrimon grimaced as he realized he had made a rookie mistake and given his opponent a shot at his back as the swing took him farther around than he had counted on. He threw himself forward, Justimon's energy blade passing mere inches from his back. Despite that, he still felt a hard impact from the rear and lost his balance, falling flat on his face. He had just enough time to flip over onto his back before he found the tip of Justimon's blade at his throat.

"Damn," Valkyrimon said, letting his head fall back onto the ground. "And I thought I was doing well."

"You did do well," Justimon reassured him. "You just made a critical error at the end. Do you know what you should have done there?"

Justimon reached out his hand and Valkyrimon grasped it, using it to hop back to his feet. He thought for a second, reviewing the myriad 'tips' that Justimon had given him over the extended sparring session. None seemed to fit the situation, and he told his instructor that.

"You're right," Justimon nodded. "That brings us up to tip number 22: Sometimes a sacrifice will be necessary. Sometimes, it's best to take a hit if it means ending the battle. If you had allowed me to hit you, you would have been in a position to get in a potentially final blow."

Valkyrimon winced as he realized that he had seen the opportunity to go after Justimon's neck during his back attack, but he had been more concerned with avoiding the hit.

"I think that's enough for now, don't you?" Justimon asked his pupil. "You've improved quite a lot today."

"Thanks to you!" Valkyrimon grinned. "Y'know, man? I really appreciate this. I just hope that I can be as strong as you one day."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," Valkyrimon nodded. "I really look up to you, you know that?"

"Well," Justimon answered, turning his face away, "you really shouldn't…"

"Huh?"

Any response Justimon might have given was interrupted by a loud tearing sound. Valkyrimon and Justimon whipped around to see a large tree uprooted and shoved to the side by a large metal arm. The rest of the from became visible as what appeared to be a large metallic dinosaur, wires and cables running across its body. Kazu recognized it easily as a Metal Tyrannomon, Ultimate level.

"Tamers… I found you," it said simply, glaring at the two Megas.

"Yeah, so? Now what?" Justimon asked.

"Now, I kill you!"

* * *

Gallantmon sighted down the tip of his lance at Black War Greymon, waiting for his opponent to make a move. He was breathing heavily, and the weapon was wavering slightly as a result, the rapid rising and falling of his chest moving his arm. He held his shield close to his body, covering a large section of his armor that had been removed by one of Black War Greymon's attacks. His cape was in tatters and there was a myriad of cuts and pits in the rest of his armor.

Across from him, Black War Greymon wasn't in much better shape. He was down to a single clawed gauntlet and he too was breathing heavily, but his armor was in better shape, having gotten the better of Gallantmon in several attacks. "You fight well," he commended his opponent. "Better than I could have ever hoped. But, it is past time that I ended this…" He drew his arms back by his side and Gallantmon grimaced as he began to gather dark energy.

"Damn," Takato cursed, one hand holding his side where Gallantmon had been injured. "I just need you to hold one a little longer, okay?"

"I… I don't have a choice," Guilmon answered. "But, yes, I think I can keep going."

"Well then, let's see if we can't end this right now!"

"Gaia Destroyer!" Gallantmon leapt forward as soon as he heard Black War Greymon call out his attack, hoping for the best case scenario of stopping the attack before it had enough strength. Black War Greymon was quicker, though, and the dark fireball streaked through the air before Gallantmon could stop it.

"This is it!" Takato yelled through Gallantmon's mouth. With a sweep of his shield arm, he deflected the Gaia Destroyer, much to Black War Greymon's surprise, and lowered his shoulder. Black War Greymon had not yet recovered from his attack when Gallantmon plowed into him. The dark Mega staggered backwards under the impact of the rushing body blow as Gallantmon dug his feet into the ground to stop and proudly lifted his shield.

"We end this now!" Guilmon cried, channeling all of his remaining energy into the holy shield. One by one, the triangular symbols around the edge lit up, and the center design shone brightly as power flowed into it.

"Shield… of the Just!" Gallantmon yelled. His entire shield turned blindingly white before a massive red blast of energy erupted outward, forcing all watching to turn away. Black War Greymon cursed loudly as the light of the attack began to envelop him, followed by an enormous explosion. Gallantmon slumped to his knees, his body going limp as the exertion took its toll.

"Did we… get him?" Guilmon asked in earnest.

"I… hope so," Takato replied, his eyes closed to rest. "'Cause, right now… I… don't think I can even… move."

* * *

"Holy!" Rika began to curse before the glare of Gallantmon's attack forced her to turn away. "His ultimate attack… It has to be over after that… right?"

"I…" Taomon began, but she soon shook her head. "I'm afraid not…"

A large cloud of dust had obscured the results of Gallantmon's effort, but that was beginning to clear. When it had finally settled, the results became all too clear. The Dark Mega was far from defeated, as he still crouched on the ground, holding a large black shield up in front of him. He had not weathered the attack perfectly intact, his armor pitted more deeply than before. Energy burns now covered most of it, some sections still smoldering and smoking.

"Hell," Rika sighed. "All that, and he managed to defend with that goddamn shield…"

* * *

"Aww, man!" Kenta exclaimed as he too witnessed Black War Greymon's defense. "That is so not fair! What are we going to do now?"

"Fight," Marine Angemon piped in, rising up from Kenta's shoulder. "I'll fight!"

"Are you sure?" Kenta asked his partner. "I thought you were more of a lover than a fighter."

"Well…"

"Well," Lopmon interrupted. "That's why I'm going to fight."

"Lopmon," Suzie said. "Are you sure about this? I mean, Takato…"

"Takato said we were here for backup," Lopmon answered. "This qualifies."

"Well," Suzie said hesitantly. "If you're sure…"

* * *

Gallantmon let out a cry of dismay as he saw that his attack had failed to seriously damage Black War Greymon. "No…" Takato breathed. "We put everything we had into that one, too… Damn! It can't… end like this!"

Black War Greymon grimaced in disgust at his shield, large cracks nearly splitting it into fragments. "That," he grudgingly admitted, crouched over and breathing heavily, "was one seriously powerful technique. Heh… Lucky I had my shield, or that attack would have finished me off. Even so, this thing's done." He stood up, tossing the ravaged shield to the ground and approached the kneeling Gallantmon. "It's almost a shame that I'll have to finish you off now," Black War Greymon continued. "You were the first real opponent I've had in a long time. But, now, you die." He raised his one remaining gauntlet and prepared to deliver the killing blow.

Stoically, Takato kept his eyes open as he waited for the dark Mega's final blow, but it never came. Instead, his eyes widened as he saw what Black War Greymon could not, Antylamon leaping to attack.

Black War Greymon could tell from Gallantmon's reaction that something was up, but he still let out a howl of pain as one of Antylamon's axes cut across the armor on his back. He lurched forward, nearly falling onto Gallantmon before he could recover. With one eye closed from the pain, Black War Greymon spun around to face his latest attacker.

"How… how dare you!" he raged. "You insolent little…"

"I won't let you hurt my friends anymore," Antylamon stated. "This ends… now."

"Fine…" Black War Greymon growled. "I'll have to teach you a lesson for attacking me from behind." His mouth twisted up in an imitation of a smile. "I hadn't expected such a cowardly attack… from a Deva."

"Hmmph. And what would you know about Devas?"

"Only that it'll be my great honor to finish the last of you all off. Heh… It's just too bad you won't be there to see your precious Sovereigns fall before us!"

"Black War Greymon!"

Everybody started at the sound of the unfamiliar voice. To everyone's surprise it was the gentleman in the black suit that had been with Black War Greymon. Intent on watching the battle, he had been all but forgotten about. "You talk too much…"

"Well then," Black War Greymon said, turning his attention back to Antylamon and completely ignoring the man. Once more, he poised his claws in preparation to attack. "Let's see what you can do, little bunny."

Antylamon's charge was surprisingly swift, her axe arcing for Black War Greymon's neck, but the dark Mega ducked under the seemingly wild swing. Before he could counterattack though, Antylamon brought her other axe up across her body, and Black War Greymon threw himself backwards to avoid taking a serious hit. The momentum of her swings turned Antylamon's back around towards the dark Mega, but once again the apparent weakness was deceptive. Before Black War Greymon could charge in, the twin axes came back around as Antylamon continued the spin. Scowling, the dark Mega could only fall back or dodge the flurry of single and double axe strikes.

"It looks almost like she's dancing…" Suzie breathed. "C'mon… you can do it. I know it…"

* * *

Whistling softly at Antylamon's display, Kenta and Marine Angemon rushed over to where Gallantmon was slowly recovering his strength on the ground. "That was one hell of a battle," Kenta said to his friend. "You going to be all right?"

"That…" Takato breathed, "took all of our energy… Honestly, I can barely move…" He could feel his strength beginning to return, but he knew it wasn't nearly enough to continue fighting with.

"Aww, man," Kenta grimaced, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, we'll just have to see what we can do about that. M.A.?"

The miniscule Mega nodded and floated over to Gallantmon, hovering just in front of his face. "Don't worry," he piped, "this'll help. Kahuna Waves!" Marine Angemon blew gently, and a stream of small blue bubbles began to wash over Gallantmon's head and shoulders.

The Holy Knight closed his eyes with a grateful smile as he started to feel his energy return. "Thanks, I needed that," he said. "But, don't strain yourself too much. I lost too much strength for you to restore."

Marine Angemon cut off the stream with a slight sigh. "'Kay." He floated back to rest on Kenta's shoulder as the boy turned to watch the continuing fight between Black War Greymon and Antylamon. The former Deva was fighting well, but Black War Greymon was quickly gaining the upper hand. Antylamon's dance had deteriorated and the dark Mega had begun to exploit ever larger openings to devastating effect.

* * *

With one desperate effort, Antylamon slipped around to Black War Greymon's back, sweeping an axe towards the dark Mega's leg. With a grunt, he managed to jump over the attack, spinning to drive his elbow at Antylamon. The ex-Deva took the blow, her head snapping to one side, but she managed to retaliate by planting an axe in Black War Greymon's side. The dark Mega howled in pain and repeatedly lashed out with his arm, clubbing continually into Antylamon's head.

Knocked dizzy from the blows, Antylamon staggered to one side, her axe pulling free of Black War Greymon's side. Eyes wild from the pain, Black War Greymon rammed his fist into Antylamon's chest, the arm with his gauntlet held tightly to his wound. The air rushed from the ex-Deva's chest in a loud gasp, and she doubled over in pain. Black War Greymon pulled his fist back, driving it once more into Antylamon's stomach. One final club to the back of the neck, and Antylamon collapsed onto the ground, reverting to Lopmon before completing the fall.

"No!" Suzie screamed in terror. "Lopmon!" Try as hard as she might, she couldn't seem to get her legs to move in order to rush over to her partner. "No…" she repeated, falling breathlessly to her knees.

* * *

"My god…" Rika cursed softly. "Antylamon…"

"Enough," Taomon growled, rising quickly to her feet. "Fully restored or not, I can't sit here and watch this any longer."

"I couldn't agree more," Rika nodded, pulling out her digivice. "It's time to show that jerk Black War Greymon what we're made of! Biomerge Activate!"

* * *

"I… can't believe it," Kenta gasped. "What… what are we going to do now?"

"Takato… I think it's time," Guilmon said to his partner.

Inside Gallantmon, Takato nodded. "You're right…"

"Time?" Kenta repeated, confused. "Time for what?"

"Time to call for an old friend," Gallantmon replied. "I was hoping we wouldn't have to resort to this… This may take some time."

"Don't you worry about that," Kenta assured him. "We'll protect you as best as we can."

"Thank you…" Gallantmon said softly, closing his eyes. "Old friend, we need your strength… Please, one more time… lend us your wings…"


	18. Episode 18: Twin Conclusions

"You? Kill us?" Justimon repeated. "Ha! How stupid can you be…"

"Smart enough to know that if I kill you, I get a reward," Metal Tyrannomon smirked.

"And so it begins…" Justimon groaned. He sighed and shook his head before looking back up at Metal Tyrannomon. "Guess I'll just have to make an example of you to everybody else…"

Valkyrimon looked over at his friend and started at the look he saw in Justimon's face. For a second, he was reminded of his fight with Revenmon, Justimon's dark Mega form.

"I'll squash you like a bug!" Metal Tyrannomon roared, charging with surprising speed at the pair. He swung his massive left claw in a sweeping arc, and Valkyrimon was forced to leap backwards out of the way. He hadn't needed to, however, as Justimon had blocked the attack, his arm transformed.

"That the best you got?" Justimon asked with a slight sneer. "Try this! Accel Arm!" He clenched the three fingers on his arm into a fist and delivered a hook to the side of Metal Tyrannomon's head. The mechanical dinosaur staggered back to one side as Justimon flexed his arm in front of him. "Care to try something else?"

Growling loudly, Metal Tyrannomon thrust out his right hand, a port spiraling open on his palm. "Giga Destroyer II!" A trio of missiles shot out from it towards Justimon. With a grin, Justimon rushed forward with a shout of "Voltage Blade!" As he weaved between the missiles, he slashed with his sword once, twice, three times, each strike leaving behind explosions as the missile was split in two.

Metal Tyrannomon reared back in surprise as Justimon was suddenly directly in front of him. "That one's no good either," Justimon told his opponent. Before the Ultimate could react, Justimon twisted around, bringing his energy blade slashing down before springing away.

Valkyrimon winced and turned his face away, as Metal Tyrannomon's severed right hand dropped to the ground, dissolving in a burst of data. Metal Tyrannomon howled in pain, the stump of his arm spraying what could either have been blood or oil.

"Learned your lesson yet?" Justimon asked him. "Or would you rather lose something even more important? Like your head?"

"Damn you!" Metal Tyrannomon raged. "Damn you!"

"Tell you what. I'm feeling generous right now. Leave right now, and you won't have to die. How does that sound?"

"You're… too strong," Metal Tyrannomon answered, backing off slowly. His face, mechanical though it was, showed fear plainly. "You win…"

"What do you know," Justimon laughed, turning away. "He does have some brains after all. C'mon, I'm sick of this. Let's get out of here."

Speechless, Valkyrimon had just turned to walk away with Justimon, but a glow made him look back. He turned too late to see light erupt from Metal Tyrannomon's chest in the form of a laser beam. "Look out!"

Justimon turned with a sigh and leapt forward at the Ultimate dinosaur. "Pay attention now!" he called to Valkyrimon. "Tip number 22!" He twisted to one side only enough that the laser carved a large gouge into the metal of his shoulder instead of passing through his body. Valkyrimon watched as Metal Tyrannomon recoiled in horror as Justimon rapidly advanced. Justimon's energy blade extended for an instant and he landed in a crouch just past Metal Tyrannomon.

"Damn you… to… hell…" Metal Tyrannomon said, his voice fading to nothing. He collapsed forward onto his knees, his severed head falling to the ground with a loud clang. It erupted into data, and his body followed a second or two later.

"Can't say I didn't give him a chance," Justimon grunted, rising to his feet. "Now, let's head back." With that, he started to walk away in the direction of the city.

Valkyrimon stared at his retreating back for a second, still at a loss for words. "R-right," he called. "Right behind you…"

"Umm, what was all that?" Guardromon asked.

"I… have absolutely no idea…" Kazu admitted. "Was that what he meant when he said I shouldn't look up to him?"

* * *

Black War Greymon clenched a hand to his side where Antylamon's axe had connected. He was slightly hunched over and breathing wildly. "You'll pay… You'll all pay!" With a grunt, he kicked sharply at Lopmon's unconscious form, sending the Rookie bouncing across the ground. "First," he continued, whipping around to face Gallantmon, "You. Heh-heh. You're my greatest threat, but not for long!"

"Get out of here!" Takato yelled, turning towards Kenta. "Go!"

Kenta hesitated for a second, unsure of what to do. Quickly, he nodded, and dashed headlong away from the crouching Mega, Marine Angemon hanging tightly on his shoulder. Takato watched him go until the boy was a safe distance before turning back to witness Black War Greymon charging up another attack. "Damn…"

"Gaia Destroyer!" Gathering up his strength, Black War Greymon launched another of his fireballs and sent it streaking towards Gallantmon.

"Dammit," Takato cursed. "Gathering energy is taking too long!"

Before the Gaia Destroyer could reach its target, Gallantmon noticed a thin golden streak intersect and pass through the energy ball. As the energy dissipated, he could see a large golden staff jutting out of the ground, rings clinking slightly.

"Sakuyamon?" Gallantmon said in shock.

"What's this?" Black War Greymon roared. "Somebody else trying to interfere?"

Sakuyamon landed lightly next to her staff, pulling it from the ground. "If you plan to hurt my friends," she stated, "you will have to go through me."

"Then, die!" Black War Greymon charged, claw pulled back to strike. Sakuyamon brought her staff to bear, caught the dark Mega's swing, and slashed out at his face. Grunting, Black War Greymon brought a claw up to block the strike, sparks flying as metal met metal. Quickly, Sakuyamon released the staff with one of her hands, bringing it in front of her body. "Amethyst Wind! Cyclone!"

From the ground around the embattled Megas, a massive funnel of flower petals erupted, their surprisingly sharp edges cutting even further into Black War Greymon's already ravaged armor. The dark Mega lurched backwards, staggering due to the myriad small wounds from the attack. "D-damn you," Black War Greymon growled. Sakuyamon's attack still spiraled around her, keeping the dark Mega at bay.

"No more," Sakuyamon stated. "No more will we allow you to harm our friends!"

Sakuyamon held her staff in front of her, parallel to the ground. She held her hands together as if in prayer, staff hooked in her thumbs, and started chanting softly. Gathering her power, Sakuyamon called out, "Feel this purifying light and be destroyed! Amethyst Mandala!!" With that, she thrust her staff into the ground directly in front of her, the rings on it jangling loudly. Light burst forth from the staff in a spherical wave, advancing quickly on Black War Greymon.

"I… I," Black War Greymon stammered, "Will not be destroyed!" Raising his arms high above his head, he gathered energy for his signature attack. "Gaia Destroyer!" He flung his attack forward, meeting Sakuyamon's wave head on.

The wave continued to expand and push the Gaia Destroyer backwards, but Black War Greymon held his ground and slowly the wave's advance began to slow, then stop. Frantically, Sakuyamon thrust her hands forward, continuing to pour energy into her attack, chanting furiously. "Just a little bit more!"

It was too late. Her wave lost all momentum as Black War Greymon's attack began to press through and finally broke apart, the Gaia Destroyer arcing directly towards her. "No!" Sakuyamon cried. "Crystal Sphere!"

The ball of dark energy met Sakuyamon's staff, vaporizing it into data, before impacting with her hastily erected shield. The force of the attack blew her backwards, disrupting her spell shield, waves of dark energy licking at her body, eliciting screams from both partners. Sakuyamon's badly damaged body slid to a halt, plowing a large furrow in the soft ground.

"Rika! Renamon!" Takato cried out from inside Gallantmon. "C'mon, hurry up!"

Sakuyamon struggled to a sitting position, legs curled beside her. "Are… are you all right, Rika?" Renamon asked.

"I… I think," Rika replied, wincing from the pain "We have to… get up…"

As Sakuyamon attempted to stand up, Black War Greymon quickly advanced, wrapping his hands around Sakuyamon's neck and lifting the Mega above his head. Her air flow restricted by the tightness of the grip, Sakuyamon choked for breath, her hands grabbing at those around her neck.

"You… put up a good fight," Black War Greymon huffed. "So, I'm giving you the honor of being the first to die."

Eyes closed and hands to her neck, Rika squirmed futilely, her choking echoing that of Renamon. "It can't… end… like…this…," she wheezed as the dark Mega's grip tightened. Just as darkness began to creep into the edges of her vision, she felt something as if a spark had suddenly passed through her body. Black War Greymon must have felt it too, as Rika felt his grip suddenly loosen. Sakuyamon collapsed to the ground, hacking and coughing.

"W-what's going on?" Black War Greymon gasped. "Where's all that energy coming from?"

"Yes…" Gallantmon breathed. "I can feel it… Thank you… Grani!"

Black War Greymon turned towards Gallantmon in time to see the Holy Knight's shredded cape tighten around his body like a cocoon. Rays of light began to show through the holes, gradually brightening in intensity until Black War Greymon was forced to avert his face.

"What the… What is this light?"

"It is," Gallantmon replied, lifting his head, "your downfall!!"

He rose in a flash, his cape transforming to pure light and erupted outward, curling back in and forming ten translucent wings. With a wild cry, the armor that covered his body burst, only to reform brilliantly red, and much grander. The last part to transform was his head, which he then brought down to stare Black War Greymon directly in the face.

"That form…" Rika rasped, still rubbing her throat. "Just like… during the final battle… with D-Reaper…"

"Yes," Renamon answered hoarsely. "It seems… that Grani… is still with us, in one way or another…"

"Awesome…" Kenta breathed, looking over Gallantmon's new form. "I… I've never seen anything like it…"

"Nuh-uh!" Marine Angemon agreed.

"Is that… really Takato?" Suzie asked, cradling Lopmon in her arms. Marine Angemon immediately flew over to the unconscious Rookie and began to blow his healing bubbles.

"Sure is…" Kenta answered, letting out a low whistle. "That's just awesome…"

The only one who didn't show any surprise was the man in the business suit who was still watching the entire proceedings. Kenta looked over at the man, but he wasn't paying attention.

"Who the hell is that guy…" he wondered aloud.

"Black War Greymon!" the new Gallantmon declared. "For harming my friends, you shall pay the ultimate price!"

"You… you… will never be a match for me!" Black War Greymon roared, raising his arms. "Gaia Destroyer!"

"Fool!" Gallantmon swung his right arm, a double lance of pure energy appearing in his clenched fist and slicing through the attack easily. With a cry, he leapt forward, a sword of pure light forming in his left hand.

Growling, Black War Greymon snatched his discarded shield from the ground and held it in front of him.

"You cannot escape my wrath!" Gallantmon called out, slashing out with both weapons. An X of light appeared across the black shield before it broke apart, evaporating into data.

Eyes wide in shock and horror, Black War Greymon stepped back even as the new Gallantmon advanced on him.

"No more…" the Holy Knight started. "No more shall you be allowed to exist!"

Black War Greymon looked down as Gallantmon plunged his lance deep into the dark Mega's chest. "N-no!"

"Final Justice!"

Black War Greymon let out a tremendous scream of pain as, one by one, rays of light pierced his skin from the inside and his body exploded in a violent shower of light and data.

"It," the transformed Gallantmon said slowly, "is done."

In a flash, he reverted back to normal and collapsed to his knees, his body surrounded by light as he split back into Takato and Guilmon. With a cry of dismay, Sakuyamon ran over to him, dividing into Rika and Renamon once more.

"Takato! Takato!" Rika said frantically. "Are you all right?"

"I… will be," Takato smiled faintly. "Thanks for your help…"

They were soon joined by Kenta, Suzie, and their partners, all of whom were relieved to find that he was all right. It wasn't until they heard the sound of a slow clap that they remembered there was still somebody else there.

"I must say," the man in the suit said, only the slightest hint of a smile on his face. "I'm rather impressed. I was worried there for a while, but luckily, I hadn't overestimated your strength."

"It's about damn time you gave us some answers!" Rika told him. "Who the hell are you?"

"You need to work on your manners, young lady…"

"Why you…"

"Just answer the question," Takato put in, interrupting Rika. "Please, who are you?"

"Well, since you asked so nicely… My name is Kurouji. Ichiro Kurouji, at your service… Prodigal Son…" Mockingly, he added in a slight bow. "Now that the introductions are out of the way, I really must be going," Mr. Kurouji said, turning his back. "Oh, and Tamers? Revel in this victory while you can, for such opportunities shall be rare indeed." Touching a device around his wrist, he vanished as a Data Stream swept over him, leaving the Tamers staring at the spot where he had been.

"He's gone…" Takato grunted. "And that was a D-Band he had too… Who is he, really?"

"C'mon," Kenta said. "Let's get back home. The others are probably worried out of their minds about now."

"Thanks for you help everybody," Takato smiled. "I couldn't have done it without… you…" Takato's smile froze on his face and he abruptly collapsed face down in the dirt.

"Takato!!"


	19. Episode 19: Aftermath of the Battle

Kazu was still puzzling over Ryo's odd behavior when he arrived back at Takato's place. The first thing he noticed was that Takato and the others hadn't arrived back yet. The only human he managed to find was Henry, staring at a computer screen.

"We're back," Kazu announced, knocking on the entrance to the room. "What's up?"

"Oh, hey Kazu," Henry said offhand, not turning away from the computer. "That was quick."

"Quick?" Kazu replied with a raised eyebrow. "We've been gone for like three hours."

"Three hours?" Henry asked incredulously, turning away from the computer. "That can't be…" He pinched the bridge of his nose in consternation. "And the others aren't back yet? Where could they be? Damn it…"

"Hey," Kazu said quickly, laying a hand on Henry's shoulder. "Hey, don't worry. I'm sure everybody's fine… including Suzie. Especially Suzie."

"And there's nothing we can do except wait," Henry grumbled. With an exasperated sigh, he leaned back in his chair, giving Kazu a glance at the screen.

"Digital World Timeline?" he said, reading the line at the top.

"Yeah," Henry replied, turning back towards the monitor. "I've been trying to work a couple of things back with everybody back in the Real World."

"Come up with anything?"

"Yeah," Henry answered, "but it's something I plan to bring up with everybody at once. You know, on that note, what happened to Ryo?"

"Ehh, well, I'm starting to worry about him."

"What happened?"

"You see, we had a run in with a Metal Tyrannomon. Guy thought he was a hot-shot after our bounty. And, well, Justimon pretty much… slaughtered him."

"Slaughter?"

"Seriously. I mean, his personality did a complete 180. It was like when I fought him as Revenmon."

"That's… not good. Sounds like Cyberdramon's influence," Henry replied thoughtfully. "All the time he spent in the Digital World without any other people certainly didn't help."

"You don't suppose… he could be dangerous, do you?"

"To us? Maybe… To his enemies? Definitely. The real problem is to himself. If he loses control again against an enemy he can't beat so easily, it'll be trouble."

"Damn," Kazu cursed, lightly banging the table with his fist. "Is there anything we can do?"

"We'll have to keep an eye on him," Henry answered. "There's really nothing else to do."

* * *

"I wish I knew what was taking them so long," Jeri worried, pacing up and down. "If something happened to Takato, I don't know if I could ever forgive him."

She looked up at the odd Digital World sky from one side of the large courtyard. It had been over an hour since Takato's group were supposed to have been back. She had spent the hour pacing back and forth

"Moumantai," Terriermon replied simply, opening one eye to look over at Jeri. "You'll see. Everything will turn out just fine."

Jeri frowned at this and let out a small groan. "You're right, I'm sure," she said. "But, I can't help but worry."

"Ehh, well, I suppose you have a right to worry given the circumstances," Terriermon admitted. "Just cut out the pacing, would ya? It's distracting. And I think you're wearing a groove in the path."

Despite herself, Jeri gave a small giggle. "It is a bit ridiculous, isn't it? Not like it'll make time go by any faster."

Just then, a voice from inside the house called out, "They're back! Takato and the others are back!"

Jeri turned quickly in the direction of the front door. "Takato…" she said, moving swiftly back inside. Terriermon watched her go then, with a slight chuckle, flipped to his feet and hurried to catch up.

When they got to the front hall, they saw that everybody had indeed come back, but not quite as they had expected. Everybody seemed to be in varying states of disarray; the only ones who didn't show it were Marine Angemon, Suzie and Kenta. It was then that Jeri's eyes fell upon Takato. His arms were slung across Kenta's and Rika's shoulders, his eyes were closed and his breathing was shallow. Guilmon, too, looked in bad shape. He was moving under his own power, though not without help from Renamon.

"My god!" Henry blurted out, rushing towards them and especially his sister. "What the hell happened?"

"We were attacked," Rika informed him. "I don't know if it was a trap or simply our bad luck but, as you can see, this was the result."

The onlookers shifted to either side to allow the group to move through into the building. There, Rika and Kenta lowered Takato onto a couch, Guilmon slumping down next to his partner. A check revealed that, aside from some soreness and minor injuries, everybody would be just fine given some time.

"What… happened to Takato?" Jeri asked, leaning over to study his face. "Is he all right?"

"I think he will be," Rika answered. "He used up a lot of energy during the fight, and now he has to recover. He'll be asleep like this for some time."

"So, what happened? What kind of guy could do all this?" Kazu asked, indicating the injured Digimon with a sweep of his arm.

"First things first," Rika groaned. "If I don't sit down soon, I think I'm going to collapse…"

* * *

"So, anyway, that's what happened," Rika said, wrapping up her retelling of the fight. The entire group, save for Ryo, was gathered around a large table, those absent from the fight listening intently. "We were lucky Takato still had access to Grani's power. I don't want to think about what might have happened if he hadn't."

"What did the guy say his name was again?" Henry asked. "Kurouji?"

"Exactly," Rika nodded. "I'll never forget that name." With that, she punched her open hand with a grimace. "Kurouji… Ichiro Kurouji. Also, for some reason, he too called Takato 'Prodigal Son.'"

"That's what I thought you said his name was," Henry replied, lowering his chin into his hands. "He knew about 'Prodigal Son' too… Could it be the same guy…?"

"You know that prick?" Rika said, whipping her head around to face Henry.

"Well, while you guys were gone," Henry explained, "I was able to talk to my father again. You're never going to believe this, but… Dad said that the name of the man running Hypnos right now… is Ichiro Kurouji."

Gasps of disbelief rose from everyone seated around the table at the announcement.

"So…" Rika scowled. "He's the one behind everything, is he?"

"But, wait," Suzie put in. "Didn't… Didn't he say something about their 'master'?"

"Yes," Renamon nodded, closing her eyes. "I indeed remember that."

"Then there's someone even higher?" Kenta said, leaning back in his chair with an exasperated cry. "How come every time we get more information, it just confuses everything further?"

"Such seems to be our lot in life," Renamon answered.

"Well then," Henry said, "it brings up another question. Who is higher than the person in charge of Hypnos? Considering what we know of the overall plan, it would have to be someone higher up in the government."

"Dude," Kazu spoke up, "How are we supposed to fight against that? Fighting Digimon is one thing, but the government? Not to mention what something like this would do to Japan and, for that matter, the rest of the world."

"We reverse the old adage," Renamon replied. "In this case, remove the body and the head will die. If we can neutralize the Digimon army they're building up, their source of power dries up."

"Well, as long as it's that simple," Kazu muttered. "We'll just walk over there and say, 'Excuse me, but would you mind terribly not preparing to attack us?'"

"All right," Henry admitted, "It's not going to be easy, but we don't have much of a choice. We might also not have a lot of time. If they don't know about this place and this city, I'd be very surprised. We could get attacked here at home at any time. For right now, let's just worry about building up our defenses and getting everybody back to full strength."

As everyone got up to leave, Kazu stepped over to have a word with Rika. "There's… something I need to talk to you about."

"Could you make it quick?" Rika yawned. She stretched but grimaced slightly at the soreness in her muscles from the battle. "I'm beat… literally."

"Well," Kazu said hesitantly, "it's about Ryo…"

* * *

"Takato," Jeri said softly, kneeling next to the bed where the young man lay. His chest rose and fell in a long, steady rhythm. The slight grimace on his face served as contrast to the seeming peace of the rest of his body. "I know that you're just sleeping and that you'll wake up before long, but… I'm going to be right here anyway.

"I know that it's selfish of me, but I just wish that you didn't have to fight like this. I know I've seen more fighting that I would have ever wanted to. I won't stop you because I know that this is something that has to be done. So, I'll just ask you for one thing. Come back. No matter what, I want you to come back. Even if I say something else later, I want you to come back. That's my promise to you."

Lifting the blanket from Takato's hand, Jeri took the promise ring from her finger and placed it onto his before replacing his hand and the blanket. A slight cough from behind caused Jeri to turn around and see Henry standing in the doorway. Jeri wiped a tear from her eye that she hadn't realized was there and stood to face him. "Have you… been there long?"

"Only a second," Henry answered. "Hardly heard anything. Anyway, I just came in here to see how Takato was doing." Henry crossed the room to Takato, laying a hand on the boy's forehead. Takato's breathing hardly changed.

"I… was just about to go," Jeri said, turning to leave.

"Well, actually," Henry said slowly. "I wasn't being completely honest just now…" Nervously, he coughed into his fist. "I actually… came to see how you were doing."

"Thank you," Jeri answered without turning around. "But I'll be fine. Honestly." She slipped out through the doorway and was soon out of sight.

"Well," Henry said once Jeri was gone, "I gotta hand it to you, Takato buddy. Even asleep you got a girl all over you. I'm a bit jealous…" Moving his fingers quickly over a keyboard, Henry called up some files to look at. "But then, look at me." He laughed wryly. "What do I do? I sit around, look at a computer and talk to unconscious people."

Henry sighed and leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms. "Seriously though," he said, the calm expression that always came with serious matters coming over his face. "This fight means more than the others know. Digimon, hell, the Digital World itself actually hangs in the balance. They're both evolving at an increased rate, and that rate is only speeding up. I've always known that Digimon are more than anybody thinks they are, but…"

"They're becoming just like us, Takato. Physically, mentally, sociologically. Somehow, on their own, they've developed sexual reproduction and beyond that, the idea of a related family over the standard pack or loner behavior. If you look at this city of ours, yours, you can see the base of a stable society. No longer is this world ruled by a simple 'survival of the fittest' missive. This battle we're fighting right now, it's not just a battle for our future. Whether we win or lose will determine the fate of the Digital World and all that inhabit it."

"So, Takato, please… Hurry up and recover. Everybody needs your strength. Please…"


	20. Episode 20: A City Under Attack

After Kazu told Rika what had happened with Ryo, she ran to where Ryo had been seen last, her face creased with worry. She wondered what could possibly be wrong with Ryo as she ran. She had never known Ryo to act in such a bloodthirsty manner as he apparently had against Metal Tyrannomon. She skidded as she rounded a corner, coming to a quick halt in front of a door. It was another room that had been cleared out to give Ryo a place to stay. She knocked on the thick wood of the door, calling out for Ryo to open up.

"G-Go away!" Ryo's voice called from inside. It had an unusually harsh inflection, and it almost sounded like he had growled.

"Ryo, it's me, Rika! Open up, please!"

"Go away!" Ryo repeated, harsher than before. "You can't come in!"

"Like hell I can't," Rika grunted, trying to turn the door handle. It was locked, but she didn't let that stop her. She pulled out a hairpin from her pocket and quickly worked the lock open. "I'm coming in whether you like it or not," she announced, shouldering the door open. When she entered, the first thing she saw was Ryo sitting cross-legged on the floor in a corner of the room. She also noticed that he was hunched over and breathing heavily. "What… the hell happened here?"

"Please," Ryo said, much softer than before. "Please, Sis, just leave me alone…"

"What's gotten into you lately," Rika asked, leaning her hand against the wall to brace herself as she bent over. As she did so, she felt something sticky on her palm and brought it into the light. It was blood. "The hell?" she exclaimed, looking down at Ryo. For the first time she noticed that his knuckles were bloody as if he had been punching the stone wall as hard as he could.

"This is what I didn't want you to find out about," Ryo explained, holding up his bloodied hands. "I don't know what's come over me, but I felt like if I didn't hit something, anything, I would explode. So, that's what I did."

"Is that what happened earlier when you were with Kazu?" Rika asked, lowering herself into a sitting position next to Ryo.

"Something like that," Ryo nodded slowly. "It seemed like there was this monster inside of me, telling me to kill Metal Tyrannomon and enjoy it. The thing is, I don't even remember when it started. Most of my memories from the point when I left for the Digital World up until when I woke up after you all defeated Revenmon are hazy. Like, I'm in danger of forgetting who I am."

"Does this… have anything to do with Cyberdramon?" Rika inquired. "You and he had been biomerged for who knows how long when we came across you."

"I… really don't know. That too is what scares me. I barely know anything and there's a chance I'll lose everything that I do know, like my friendship with everybody else and my relationship with you."

"Well then," Rika said, standing up and offering a hand to Ryo. "I and everybody else will just have to make sure that we keep reminding you about who you are. That's all there is to it."

Ryo took the proffered hand and was lifted to his feet. "Thank you, Rika," he said, putting his arms around Rika's shoulders, careful not to get his blood on her. Rika returned the hug and smiled.

* * *

"Young one…"

Takato blinked, looking around for the source of the strange voice. "Who are you? Where is this?"

"Young one…" the voice repeated somewhat louder than before. Takato strained to catch the direction that it had come from, stumbling through pitch darkness. He hoped that he had picked the right direction.

"It's no use," a second voice said. "There's no way he can hear you."

"I can hear you just fine," Takato mumbled, sleepily. "What's going on?"

It was then that Takato spotted a faint blue light off in the distance and began to walk towards it. Gradually it began to get brighter and the first voice became louder. "Young one, I am relieved to find you. But… are you not well?"

"I'm… just a little tired," Takato replied, already weary of small talk from unseen voices. "What do you want?"

Three more lights blinked into existence around Takato. There was a blue light in front of him, a strangely black light glowing on his left, a brilliant red one on his right, and Takato turned to face the white light behind him. Somewhere in the back of his head, the colors registered as something, but he couldn't quite piece together what.

"And you were ready to give up, weren't ye?" the black light pulsed with some strange accent. "Aye, ye were." Strangely, the second pulse had a different accent. Takato chuckled softly at this.

"The boy cannot even take this seriously," the red light pulsed with irritation.

"Hey," Takato retorted with equal irritation. "It's my dream and I'll laugh if I want."

"This is not a dream," the white light pulsed matter-of-factly. "The four of us are sending you a message. An urgent message."

"All right, all right," Takato replied dismissively. "But could you hurry it up? I'm sure I've got much more interesting dreams after this one."

"Perhaps if you knew who we were, you would be more receptive?" the blue light pulsed. "Fine then."

For a second the blue light coalesced into the form of a long dragon. As Takato looked around, the other lights changed as well. The black became a two-headed turtle, the white a massive tiger and the red a large, four-winged bird.

"Hey, wait! I recognize those shapes! You're…!"

"Finally he understands," Zhuqiaomon said with exasperation. "Maybe now we can actually deliver our message."

"Yes," Azulongmon said, ignoring Zhuqiaomon's remark. "We are the four Sovereign Digimon, what some might call the four gods of the Digital World."

"All right," Takato nodded. "I'm listening. You have a message?"

"The Digital World is in danger," Baihumon told him. "It faces a threat exceeding that which was presented by the D-Reaper."

"You talking about this Digimon army that's been forming? We know all about it. I'm recovering from our first major fight as we speak."

"The army is only a part of the problem, laddy," Ebonwumon informed Takato. "Aye, an even bigger problem is the one what controls it."

"You're worried about that Mr. Kurouji person? No, the army is the biggest problem."

"You are too quick to dismiss him," Azulongmon corrected. "His exact nature is unknown to us, and that worries even us. Not only that, but for some time now, we have been sensing a powerful dark force. It appears to be a Digimon of immense evil power, but our attempts to discover its whereabouts have all failed."

"But, wouldn't a Digimon that powerful be easy to find?"

"That is precisely the problem," Baihumon answered. "He should be, and yet, our every attempt at searching is in vain. Either he has obtained a means of disguising his power… or he is in the Real World biding his time."

"Whoever it is, he's got to be really powerful to worry the four of you," Takato said. "I mean, shouldn't four 'gods' be more powerful than any one Digimon?"

"That is where we get to the other part of the problem," Azulongmon started to explain.

"He does not need to know that," Zhuqiaomon interrupted. "It is a personal matter."

"It is vital," Azulongmon insisted.

"I disagree."

"Ya see, lad," Ebonwumon spoke up, "Our powers as the four gods of the Digital World are weakening. We can only assume that it is a result of the barrier between your world and ours."

"Ebonwumon!" Zhuqiaomon snapped.

"It had to be known," Ebonwumon explained calmly. "Aye, so just calm down."

"Is… is that true?" Takato asked, eyes wide with concern.

"It is even as Ebonwumon has said," Azulongmon replied, sadness evident in his voice. "We possess only a fraction of the power we once had. Though Zhuqiaomon is loathe to admit it, we need your help."

"I promise," Takato said, clapping his fist to his chest. "We will do all we can to help."

"Hmmph," Zhuqiaomon snorted. "Don't mess it up." With that, his red light blinked out as he cut off his connection.

"Coming from Zhuqiaomon," Baihumon said with humor, "that's pretty equivalent to a thank you. You have my thanks as well."

"Lad, I realize we have placed much upon your shoulders," Ebonwumon said. "Aye, but we would not do so unless we had faith in you. We thank ye."

"'Till we meet again, young one," Azulongmon said.

One by one, the three remaining lights blinked out, leaving Takato once again in pitch blackness. For a few seconds he pondered the message that the four Sovereigns had given him before blackness overcame his senses once again.

* * *

The relative silence of the night was disrupted by the sound of a loud explosion somewhere not too far away from the manor. As alarms sounded throughout, the Tamers who were rudely awakened rushed out of their rooms.

"What in the hell is going on?" Rika asked, clad only in her t-shirt and panties. "What was that?"

"I don't know," Kazu replied, "but that's a nice outfit."

"This is not the time!" Rika snapped back. "Renamon, let's go check this out."

"Of course," Renamon inclined her head and followed as Rika ran down the hall.

Kazu ducked back into his room where Guardromon, Kenta and Marine Angemon lay still asleep. Guardromon had put himself on standby, so that wasn't unusual, but somehow Kenta and his partner were still asleep.

"Guardromon, power up," Kazu said. "Emergency."

In a second, Guardromon was fully powered on and quickly rose to his feet. "There's an emergency?"

"There was an explosion," Kazu explained, crossing over to Kenta's sleeping form. "Close to here." He shook Kenta's shoulders briskly, but the boy just turned over in his sleep.

"Five more minutes…"

"Ah, hell with it," Kazu said. Outside the sounds of activity began to get louder as the situation became even more chaotic. "Guardromon! Let's go."

In seconds, the main group was gathered just outside the entrance hall in various states of disarray. Kazu noticed that Rika had somehow found the time to fully get dressed, but that wasn't important. "What's going on?"

"We're under attack," Henry said, weariness and frustration penetrating his calm voice. "It's not a large force, but they've come awfully close."

"And Takato?"

"Still recovering. We'll have to take care of this one ourselves. First priority is to move the battle away from the more populated sections of the city."

"Ryo…" Rika said hesitantly. "Maybe… you should sit this one out…"

"We might need all the help we can get," Henry put in.

"He's right, Rika," Ryo responded. "But… I'll be extra careful."

"All right then," Henry declared. "Let's do this!"

As the group ran towards the city, they pulled out their digivices and let out a collective cry of, "Biomerge Activate!"

* * *

Sakuyamon sped through the city, darting from building to building. Part of the city was on fire, no doubt a signal of the destruction caused by the enemy, flames lighting up the night sky. It was a terrible sight, but an evacuation had been ordered so, Sakuyamon hoped, there would be few if any casualties.

It wasn't long before she spotted the source of some of the chaos, a large iron clad Digimon which Sakuyamon recognized as a Knightmon. Landing in front of him, Sakuyamon thrust the tip of her staff into the ground and declared, "You shall not pass."

"Well," the Knightmon chuckled. We'll just have to see about that, little girl."

Sakuyamon's eyebrow twitched at this comment, but she held her ground.

"All right then," Knightmon replied, drawing his huge sword from the scabbard on his back. "Let's go!" Holding his sword tip low to the ground, Knightmon charged, surprisingly fast for the heavy Ultimate, and swung his weapon up at Sakuyamon's side.

Realizing that the force of the attack was too great to block, Sakuyamon dropped to one side and ducked under the swing. As the blade went over her head, Sakuyamon swept her staff up, striking the back of the blade, adding even more momentum to the swing. This pushed Knightmon all the way around, giving Sakuyamon an opening to firmly plan her foot in the Ultimate's back, sending him sprawling forward and crashing to the ground with a resounding crash of metal.

"Not bad," Knightmon grunted, getting to his feet. "For a girl."

"Hmmph," Sakuyamon replied. "You're not nearly strong enough to be able to brag like that."

"Then I'll just have to get stronger." Knightmon reached for something on the back of his wrist and suddenly his body began to convulse.

"What the hell?"

The convulsions stopped and Knightmon lifted his head. "Much better…" Crouching briefly, he picked up his sword with one hand and lifted it effortlessly to his shoulder. "Try this! Berserker Sword!" He brought his other hand up to the hilt of his weapon, bringing it slicing down through the air, bringing it quickly back up in one fluid, crossing motion.

What resulted was, much to Sakuyamon's surprise, a massive shockwave which threw the Mega backwards, crashing through a building behind her. "How," she grunted, struggling to sit up. "How did he get so strong?" Breathing heavily, Sakuyamon stood up, her chest plate split by a large X. She tossed away the now useless piece of armor, which crumbled as it hit the ground and dissipated into data.

"You like that?" Knightmon laughed, holding his sword out in front of him one-handed. "I was skeptical at first but, with this power, nobody can stop us!"

"What power?" Sakuyamon inquired.

"This!" Knightmon crowed, lowering his left gauntlet. Around his wrist was a device that Rika was able to identify easily as a D-Band. "With this thing, I can increase my speed, my power, everything! You don't stand a chance!"

"We will just have to see about that," Sakuyamon said, unfazed by the Ultimate Level Digimon's boasts. "So, they have D-Bands," Rika noted to Renamon. "This guy is definitely another one of that jerk Kurouji's flunkies."

"Yes," Renamon agreed. "And that last attack was indeed quite powerful. Too many more hits like that…"

"I know," Rika nodded. "Let's finish this ASAP."


	21. Episode 21: Battles for the City, Part 1

Valkyrimon made his way across the rooftops of the city as the evacuation of the city continued underneath him. He was amazed by the number and variety of Digimon that passed below him, and he couldn't remember seeing anything like it before. He had caught some of what Henry had told the unconscious Takato, and he wondered if this tied in. Certainly, the city was the most human-like thing he had seen in the Digital World. He was a little hesitant to call it a city; it was more like a medium-sized town, but never before had he seen so many different species of Digimon gather together, and ones who didn't even share a common evolutionary path, like he had seen in other places.

As he progressed further away, the rush of evacuating Digimon slowed and finally stopped entirely. He caught sight of an explosion out of the corner of his eye, and turned his full attention to it. He had little doubt that he would find an opponent there. "C'mon, Guardromon," Kazu said. "Let's go."

"Right!"

It wasn't long before he found what he was looking for. A Were Garurumon was stalking through the streets, his head turning back and forth as he looked for something. From its black and dark blue coloring, Kazu guessed it to be a virus type. "Black Were Garurumon," Guardromon confirmed with his sensors. "Virus type."

"Any bets?" Kazu asked. "Bounty hunter, or enemy soldier?"

"Inconclusive."

Kazu sighed. Sometimes Guardromon just didn't get it. Oh well, there was only one way to find out. Drawing his sword from its sheathe, Valkyrimon landed on the ground a short distance in front of the Black Were Garurumon. "Who are you, and what do you want here?" he asked.

"Why should I tell you?" Black Were Garurumon sneered.

"Because," Valkyrimon replied, appearing beside Black Were Garurumon in a flash, holding his sword to the wolfen Digimon's throat. Black Were Garurumon tensed in surprise. "If you're just a bounty hunter, I plan to be generous and let you run off with your tail between your legs. Possibly quite literally."

"And if I'm not?" Black Were Garurumon asked, slowly maneuvering his hands together.

"Then I'm gonna kick your ass and make you tell me everything you know," Valkyrimon answered with a half-shrug. "So, which is it?" he continued, slowly increasing the pressure on Black Were Garurumon's neck.

"I choose the third option," Black Were Garurumon chuckled, pressing a button on the device around his wrists. Valkyrimon almost jumped as Black Were Garurumon slipped his grasp and circled around to his back. This time, the wolfen Digimon had his claws pressed against Valkyrimon's throat. "I kill you, and receive my rightful share of glory from my Master."

"Option two it is," Valkyrimon countered, his shock rapidly fading and turning into curiosity at how Black Were Garurumon had gotten so fast. Pursing his lips he let out a loud whistle.

"Your friends are too busy to help you," Black Were Garurumon leered. "Now, perish!" Just as he began to clench his hand, something golden streaked down from the sky, heading straight for his face. He threw up his hands to defend himself from the piercing claws and battering wings of Valkyrimon's Chrome Digizoid falcon, and that was all the opportunity Valkyrimon needed.

Valkyrimon ducked forward, pivoting on one foot and delivered a spinning kick to the side of Black Were Garurumon's head, sending the wolfen Digimon into the side of a building. Black Were Garurumon fell to his knees in front of the now dented wall, stunned. "Well," Valkyrimon said, letting his breath out in a sigh of relief. "I have to admit, you caught me by surprise there." The falcon perched once again on his shoulder guard, and he patted its head fondly.

Black Were Garurumon got back to his feet, shaking his head to clear his focus. He turned, once again facing Valkyrimon. "Enough warming up," Black Were Garurumon growled deep in his throat. He drew back his claws, and crouched, getting into a fighting position. "Now the real fight begins."

Valkyrimon lifted his sword into position, balancing on the balls of his feet. "All right, let's go!"

* * *

"Crap," Rika cursed, facing down the Knightmon that stood against her. So far, they hadn't been able to deal any serious damage. "The longer this battle drags on, the worse our chances of winning get."

"Why don't you just give up?" Knightmon laughed. "There's no way that you can beat my iron defense and superior strength!"

"He's half right," Renamon said. "We're not a match in terms of defense and offense." Sakuyamon didn't have the strength to last in a straight, head-to-head fight against an opponent like Knightmon, especially with the D-Band enhancing his stats.

"Well," Rika smirked, "we'll just have to rely on a bit of strategy. Even the strongest defense has a weak spot. And I think I have an idea of what this guy's is."

Holding one hand in front of her, Sakuyamon began to concentrate and a fierce wind began to whip up around her. "Amethyst Wind... Cyclone!" A flurry of flower petals sprang up, Sakuyamon standing at the center as they formed a large, spinning cyclone. Sakuyamon gestured, and the cyclone flew forward, directly towards Knightmon.

"What are you trying now?" Knightmon growled, swinging his sword at the approaching flowers. His efforts did no good and they surrounded him, carving a multitude of shallow gouges in his armor, though none managed to penetrate deeply. Still, it did manage to obscure his vision, causing Knightmon to lose track of his opponent. "Damn!" he yelled, lashing out with his sword.

With the distraction underway, Sakuyamon crouched and leapt high into the air, flipping over Knightmon's head. Still, his wild slash managed to catch her on the shin, and, though he only managed a glancing blow, it nearly caused her to cry out in pain. Landing behind Knightmon, Sakuyamon thrust the butt of her staff up, slipping into the gap between Knightmon's back plate and his helmet, striking the back of his neck. His eyes glazed over as a nerve was struck and he collapsed onto the ground, the petal cyclone fading.

Sakuyamon breathed a soft sigh of relief, which quickly turned into a sharp inhale of pain, and clutched her injured leg. Shoving the pain to the back of her mind, Sakuyamon, struggling, flipped Knightmon onto his back. With one stroke, she sliced the D-Band from Knightmon's wrist. Knightmon groaned softly as he regained consciousness. As he came to, Sakuyamon held the end of her staff against Knightmon's throat, ready to strike. "You're awake."

"D-damn," Knightmon grunted.

"Now you can answer some of my questions," Sakuyamon said, applying pressure with her staff. "Where did you get the D-Band?"

"I found it."

"Wrong answer." Sakuyamon pressed harder, and Knightmon began to gasp for air. "Where did you get it?"

"T-that human gave it to me," Knightmon replied. "The one in black."

"Kurouji... Thought so. All right, how many of you are there, and how many D-Bands?"

"Ha, you haven't even begun to get a taste of our strength," Knightmon laughed, bragging despite the position was in. "I was just a distraction to divide you Tamers up while our General wipes the rest of you out."

"General? What do you mean by that?"

"The Generals. They're the strongest Digimon that our Master has gathered onto his side. Black War Greymon was just the first. You may have managed to beat him, but you'll never win against all of them!"

Tired of Knightmon's attitude, Sakuyamon struck his throat, knocking the Ultimate out once again. "Damn. What are we going to do with this guy?" Rika asked.

"I don't know," Renamon answered. "But I'm worried. If this other General is as strong as Black War Greymon, the others must be in trouble."

"Right," Rika nodded. "But first, we need to do something with this guy."

Sakuyamon held her hands above Knightmon's unconscious body, concentrating for a second. "Crystal Sphere," she said, an orb of softly glowing blue light forming around Knightmon and lifting himup into the air. "Bon voyage," Sakuyamon smirked, mentallylaunching the sphere towards the edge of the city. She watched as it flew away, passing over the buildings and disappearing from sight.

"Are you sure it was all right to just let him go like that?" Renamon asked.

Rika frowned. "Not one-hundred percent, no," she answered. "But, we should at least give him a second chance." Putting the matter aside, Rika continued, "All right, let's go find the others."

Sakuyamon took a step forward, and made the mistake of putting weight on her injured leg. With a sharp cry of pain, her leg gave out from under her and she collapsed to the ground, surrounded by a bright light. In a flash, she reverted to Rika and Renamon.

"Goddamn it," Rika cursed, gritting her teeth. She looked down with a grimace and saw a rip in the leg of her pants, the edges red with blood. "God, that hurts. You all right?"

"Yeah, I will be," Renamon grimaced. "I'll heal quickly. But, c'mon, we need to get that leg of yours looked at." She reached down, gathering Rika in her arms.

Rika let out a squawk of protests, squirming in Renamon's grasp. "Hey, I'm not a kid anymore!" she said, blushing furiously. "I don't need you to carry me." But, even as she said that, she felt her leg twitch and she stifled a cry of pain. "Damn..."

Her wounded partner in her arms, Renamon quickly headed back to the center of town and Takato's castle though she was still worried about her friends. Although she knew they could take care of themselves, she still worried, but Rika needed more immediate attention.

* * *

Valkyrimon's sword flashed down in a silver blur but, once again, Black Were Garurumon had used his speed to avoid the attack. He cursed softly as his head turned quickly, trying to catch Black Were Garurumon's movements. Ordinarily, he would have the advantage in speed, but somehow Black Were Garurumon had managed to get even faster.

"Dammit," Kazu growled. "How did he get so fast all of a sudden?"

Hearing the whistle of Black Were Garurumon's claws, Valkyrimon brought his arm up to block. He turned his head, watching as the claws began to dig into the bracer on his arm. It was then that he caught sight of something around the dark Ultimate's wrist. He only managed to get a brief glimpse of it, but that was enough for him to recognize it as a D-Band.

"So, that's it," Kazu said. "A D-Band." He brought his sword down, aiming for Black Were Garurumon's chest but, once again, the wolf had disappeared before the strike. Though Black Were Garurumon had managed to connect several times, the wounds were shallow, barely penetrating the armor.

"Still hanging on, huh?" Black Were Garurumon smirked, pausing briefly to gloat. "All right then, it's time I get serious. Kaiser Nail!" Black Were Garurumon clawed at the air rapidly, sending a blade streaking towards Valkyrimon.

With a grunt, Valkyrimon turned, narrowly avoiding the attack, and swung his sword around once more. Momentarily caught by surprise at the speed of the evasion, Black Were Garurumon barely managed to leap backwards, Valkyrimon's sword only managing to catch the strap of the wolfen Ultimate's shoulder armor. Growling deeply in anger, Black Were Garurumon removed the armor, tossing it to the ground. "That was close..."

"Shit," Kazu cursed, breathing heavily. "Almost had him, too." Straightening up, Valkyrimon brought his blade up, settling back into a fighting stance. "It's time I got serious too."

"Kaiser Nail!" Valkyrimon charged forward as a second vacuum blade arced towards him. He dodged to one side and continued, dropping his sword low to his side. Black Were Garurumon charged in behind his attack, and, when Valkyrimon's sword came up in a slash, he dodged, spinning around to the Mega-level warrior's back. "Garuru Kick!" Expecting Valkyrimon to dodge, Black Were Garurumon was shocked when the warrior took the hit on his back, a shockwave carving a plough in the armor.

Valkyrimon let out a brief, sharp cry of pain but, having expected Black Were Garurumon to avoid the first attack, brought his sword whipping around, the spin of his body adding to the force of the swing.

Cursing loudly, Black Were Garurumon quickly brought his hands together, catching Valkyrimon's sword between them. Grunting, Black Were Garurumon pulled with all of his strength, hoping to rip the weapon out of Valkyrimon's grasp. However, his grin of triumph faded quickly, as the sword began to rapidly get colder.

"Fenrir's Sword," Valkyrimon called out softly, a blue, icy aura forming around his blade. Before his eyes, ice crystals began to form on Black Were Garurumon's hands as his struggles to claim the weapon slowed down. "If I were you," Valkyrimon informed his opponent, "I'd let go before I lost my hands."

Abruptly, Black Were Garurumon let go of the sword, howling in pain as ice continued to creep slowly up his arms. "D-Damn you," he growled, his fangs beginning to chatter from the cold. His arms dangling frozen and useless, Black Were Garurumon refused to relent. "G-Garuru... Kick!" He lashed out with his foot, another shockwave rending the air.

Sighing, Valkyrimon ducked under the attack, bringing his sword flashing up. It carved a rut diagonally across Black Were Garurumon's torso, the wound quickly icing over. Black Were Garurumon let out a loud howl before his data began to break up, and he faded from existence.

"Damn it all," Kazu said, Valkyrimon punching the ground. "I didn't want to have to kill him." Was he no better than Justimon... or rather, whatever had made Justimon act so mercilessly?

"I'm sorry," Guardromon replied, "but, I don't think Black Were Garurumon would have been satisfied with anything less than a fight to the death."

"You're probably right. Still, it doesn't make me feel any better."

As the adrenaline wore off, Kazu began to sharply feel the pain of the blow that Black Were Garurumon had struck on his back. As he gritted his teeth, Valkyrimon was surrounded by a bright glow as the Biomerge came to an end. "Ahh, God," Kazu grunted. "That hurts!"

Guardromon examined the wound, noting with some relief that it was shallow, Valkyrimon's armor having absorbed the brunt of the blow. "Well, it's not life-threatening," Guardromon reported. "But, it is beginning to bleed. We need to get you some help."

"A-all right," Kazu sighed. "Let's go back." He tried to find a position for his back that eased the pressure and pain, but with only partial success. Guardromon helped him up and Kazu took a seat on the robot's arm as he engaged his jets and headed back to the castle.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the Real World, Yamaki sat up in bed and, out of sheer force of habit, reached for the pocket of his jacket that hung on the bedpost. The habit came from the days when he still used to smoke, before quitting shortly after joining Hypnos. Cursing silently, Yamaki let his arm drop back onto the covers. He rose, turning to sit on the side of the bed, and took a silver lighter from the bedside table. Even though he didn't smoke anymore, he still kept it, finding comfort in the repetitious sound of it opening and closing. Click chink. Click chink. Click chink.

The sound of the lighter woke Riley, who stirred under the covers. "Mitsuo, honey," she said sleepily. She sat up, pulling the covers tighter around herself. "What's wrong?" She knew that whenever her fiancé began to play with his lighter, it meant that he was worried about something.

"I'm just thinking," Yamaki replied distantly. "Those kids are off in the Digital World, and I can't think of a damn thing to do that can help them. The last time, I gave them a communicator to take with them, but now..."

"Mitsuo..." Riley said, smiling slightly. "Maybe... Maybe this time, you'll have to leave it to them. Last time you had the resources of Hypnos behind you, but now..."

Yamaki sat up straight with a start, loudly clicking his lighter closed. "Wait a minute... That's it! Damn, why the hell didn't I think of that sooner! There's probably some useful information in the Hypnos computers," he said, getting up and looking around for his pants.

"But, they would have changed the access codes by now, right?"

"You forget," Yamaki grinned in triumph, putting on his pants and shirt. "I programmed most of the systems there myself. I made sure to put in several well-hidden back doors just in case something happened. I doubt if they've found them all. Riley, I need to borrow the van."

Riley nodded and grabbed her purse, taking out her keys and tossing them to Yamaki. He snagged them out of the air and slipped them into his pocket. "Mitsuo," she said, concerned as Yamaki shrugged into his shoulder holster.

"Don't worry." Yamaki drew his gun and pulled the slide back before removing the magazine. "I'm just going to see some old friends who can help." He snapped the magazine back into place, holstered the gun and slipped his jacket on, shifting it a little to disguise the bulge of his weapon.

"Be careful, honey," Riley said, and Yamaki gave her one more lingering kiss before the former agent went out the door. She watched him go, her face a mixture of pride and concern before her head fell back onto the pillow and she drifted back to sleep.


	22. Episode 22: Battles for the City, Part 2

As Mega Gargomon, Henry flew over the city, Justimon hitching a ride on his back, watching the buildings become blurs below him. To Henry, who usually looked at the bigger picture, it was more than just a city. It was a beginning, a start to introducing some semblance of culture to the normally uncivilized Digital World. With Digimon evolving closer to standard living beings, there was even a possibility of humans and Digimon experiencing true cohabitation. But, that was still far off in the future, and there were more urgent matters at hand.

"Henry," Terriermon said, concern entering his voice. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh," Henry answered, snapping out of his train of thought. "No, I was just thinking about... things."

"Henry, look!" Justimon called, tapping his foot on Mega Gargomon's armor.

Mega Gargomon looked forward in time to see twin blasts of energy streaking towards him. "Whoa! Justimon, hang on!" Frantically, Mega Gargomon executed a barrel roll, and the energy blasts streaked by him, fading in the distance. "What was that?" he asked, righting himself once again.

"We're under attack," Justimon said. "Something big too, from the look of it."

Nodding, Mega Gargomon powered up his jets, putting on a burst of speed. It wasn't long before the source of the attack came into view. It was a Digimon, a huge metal dragon, just about as tall as Mega Gargomon, with twin cannons on its back.

"Mugen Dramon," Henry said, recognizing it easily. "Also known as Machine Dramon. Mega level, Virus type. He's going to be a tough opponent. Justimon, back me up."

"Gotcha," Justimon said, hopping down to the ground.

Mega Gargomon came to a landing next to him, sizing up his opponent. "All right," he asked. "Who are you? Why are you attacking us?"

"Orders," Mugen Dramon snarled. "For the glory of our Master, I've come to destroy you all. It looks like I'll start with you two. Infinite Cannon!" Twin blasts of destructive energy arced from the cannons on his back and Mega Gargomon hastily put up a defense. He managed to deflect the blasts, but the force pushed him backwards, his feet digging deep grooves in the ground.

"Mega Gargomon!" Justimon called. But, as the smoke and dust cleared, he saw that his companion wasn't harmed. Mugen Dramon towered above him, and he knew he couldn't win power vs. power.

"Don't think I don't see you, you little gnat! Booster Claw!" With the roar of a jet, Mugen Dramon launched one clawed hand towards Justimon. He jumped into the air, avoiding the strike and landed on the claw when it stuck into the ground.

"Take this! Voltage Blade!" Justimon lightly ran up Mugen Dramon's extended up, his right arm morphing into an energy blade. Before he got halfway up, though, he heard a rushing sound as Mugen Dramon's other claw swatted at him. Unable to dodge in time, the blow took him full force and sent him crashing through a building. "D-damn," he said, struggling into a sitting position.

"Are you all right?" Mega Gargomon asked, rushing back into the fight. "All right, Terriermon..." Henry said with a scowl. "Showtime!" With that, he strode into a charge, heading straight towards Mugen Dramon.

"I don't think so! Infinite Cannon!" His attack lanced out again but Mega Gargomon was ready, holding his arms together in front of his face. The attacks hit hard, but he continued, and Mugen Dramon launched a second shot.

"Here we go!" As the attack struck once again, Mega Gargomon opened his arms wide, deflecting the shots. As he ran in, he drew his fist back, lashing out with a punch that caught Mugen Dramon on the side of the head, sending him lurching to one side. "Take this! Power Pummel!"

"Aarrgh!" Mugen Dramon howled as a blast of air pressure emanated from Mega Gargomon's wrist and sent him crashing sideways into the ground.

"And this!" Mega Gargomon continued, every missile port on his body opening. "Mega Barrage!" Missiles poured from his body, all launched at Mugen Dramon's prone form, enveloping the mechanical dragon's entire body in explosions and a cloud of dust.

"You think we got him?" Terriermon asked optimistically.

"Booster Claw!" From the smoke, Mugen Dramon's claw emerged, streaking towards Mega Gargomon's face.

"Accel Arm!" Justimon yelled as he jumped back into the fray. With his oversized arm, he punched away the claw, causing it to twist away and plow into a building. Withdrawing his claw, Mugen Dramon got back to his feet, battered but not beaten.

"Thanks, Justimon," Mega Gargomon smiled. "But, we have to move this fight before the city takes too much damage. Follow me!" Turning on his boosters to full, Mega Gargomon launched himself towards Mugen Dramon, catching the dragon's claws in his own hands and pushing with all of his strength.

Mugen Dramon powered up boosters of his own, matching Mega Gargomon strength for strength. But, while he was too busy repelling the push, Justimon ran in, leaping up at the mechanical dragon's head. "Accel Arm!" He connected with a solid uppercut, knocking Mugen Dramon off balance.

"Rrrahh!" Henry and Terriermon yelled, pushing Mugen Dramon backwards. His feet carved huge ruts in the ground, but couldn't provide enough traction to keep him from being driven away from the city.

Mugen Dramon flipped over backwards, managing somehow to land on all fours on the ground, sliding to an eventual halt. "That's some impressive power," he grudgingly admitted. "Now I see how you Tamers were able to beat my comrade, Black War Greymon."

"So, he was a friend of yours?" Ryo said. "I guess that means you're working for this Kurouji guy as well, right?"

"Him?" Mugen Dramon chuckled. "I take orders from no human. No matter, let's finish this." Mugen Dramon charged, bringing his full mass to bear on Mega Gargomon, his claw thrusting forward. "Booster Claw!"

Mega Gargomon deflected the oncoming attack, the claw carving a gouge in his armor, and drew back, punching for Mugen Dramon's face. But the mechanical dragon ducked under the strike and lowered his shoulder, driving it into Mega Gargomon's chest. As Mega Gargomon staggered back, Mugen Dramon followed it up with another blast from the cannons on his back. "Infinite Cannon!"

Unable to regain his balance enough to dodge, Mega Gargomon took the blast full on his chest armor and he flew backwards, back arching, before crashing heavily into the ground.

"Mega Gargomon!" Justimon yelled. With his partner at least temporarily out of commission, Justimon sized up his opponent. Mugen Dramon was at least four times as tall as he was, but size could also be turned into a disadvantage. "Let's go!"

* * *

Yamaki slammed the lid of the garbage can down, his old clothes lying in the bottom of it. He had done everything short of changing his hair color to avoid detection, knowing that Hypnos probably still had men looking for him. He had parked Riley's van outside the city, going by taxi to a clothing store, buying new clothes and dumping the old. It might have been overly cautious of him, but he paid for everything using cash to avoid leaving a trail that Hypnos could easily trace.

Yamaki hailed a cab, going over everything in his mind. In order to do what he planned, hacking into the Hypnos system, he needed the use of a powerful network, and there was only one man that he knew who could help. The man he needed to find was Janyuu Wong.

* * *

Kenta awoke to sounds of pure pandemonium coming from everywhere around him. What the heck was going on? Leaving Marine Angemon still asleep, Kenta peeked outside the room, nearly getting bowled over by one of the Gotsumon.

"Oh, Mister Kenta, I'm sorry," Gotsumon bowed. "But, if you'll excuse me..."

"Wait," Kenta said quickly before the rookie could run off. "What's going on?"

"The city is under attack, and the rest of the Tamers, minus Master Takato, are out fighting. Right now, we're in the middle of an evacuation of the city."

Nodding, Kenta ducked back into his room, letting the Gotsumon rush away. Lightly slapping the last traces of sleep, Kenta crossed the room, shaking Marine Angemon awake. "C'mon guy, time to get up."

"Kenta..." Marine Angemon squeaked sleepily. "Too early."

"I know buddy," Kenta smiled fondly. "But, there might be injured Digimon that need our help."

Yawning deeply, Marine Angemon rose into the air, perching on Kenta's shoulder. "'Kay. Let's go." Together, they made their way into the central courtyard.

* * *

Finally, Yamaki arrived at his destination, the university where he suspected he could find Janyuu. Paying the cab driver, Yamaki turned to observe the site. The first thing that he noticed was a pair of men in black jackets and dark sunglasses. Yamaki froze, recognizing them as Hypnos agents. Acting as casual as he could, Yamaki walked past the doors, glancing in at the atrium.

As he expected, there was a desk not too far in where a man sat, checking the ID of people who entered the university. Leaning against the desk, talking to the security guard, was a third Hypnos agent. Yamaki kept walking but cursed to himself about his bad luck. Of course, Hypnos would think of looking for him wherever Janyuu was.

"Ah, excuse me," a voice from behind Yamaki said, causing the man to start in surprise. He turned, his hand nervously moving towards his gun, but it was just a delivery man. "Could you tell me where this is?"

"Uhh," Yamaki said, at a loss for words. He looked down at the package that the young man held, an idea quickly coming into his head. He didn't recognize the name, but the address was for the university. "Oh? Ahh, deliveries are made around back. I'll show you."

"Oh, thank you very much!" the man smiled. Yamaki gestured towards the alley that went beside and behind the main building. He entered the alleyway, Yamaki following close behind him. But, as he kept walking, something didn't feel right. "Umm, are you sure this is the right way?"

"Sorry about this," Yamaki said. Before the delivery man could turn, Yamaki lashed out with the butt of his pistol, catching the man on the back of his neck, causing him to slump, unconscious, to the ground. Wasting no time, Yamaki relieved him of the package, his ID, and his uniform. Feeling sorry, Yamaki slipped a hundred dollar bill into the young man's pocket. "For your troubles... and the uniform."

Slipping quickly into his new disguise, Yamaki ran back to the entrance of the alley, peeking around the corner and looking for the Hypnos agents. When he saw them begin to walk his way, Yamaki hastily grabbed a cigarette butt from the ground, lighting it and pretending to take a puff, leaning back against the wall. The agents passed him by, barely even glancing into the alley. Breathing a silent sigh of relief, Yamaki turned the corner, ready to enter the university, hoping that his disguise would let him in safely.

* * *

"Booster Claw!" Mugen Dramon launched his claws as Justimon charged at him, but the warrior managed to sidestep, heading right between the dragon's legs. Before Mugen Dramon could turn around, Justimon leapt onto his back, landing right between the cannons. "Get off!" Mugen Dramon howled, shaking wildly to dislodge his unwanted rider.

Justimon hung on for dear life, looping his arm around one of the cables that powered Mugen Dramon's cannons. He grinned as an idea came into his head, and he transformed his arm into its energy blade configuration. "Voltage Blade!"

Yelling with rage, Mugen Dramon turned, slamming his back into a nearby cliff face, trying to crush Justimon against it. He whipped around to find Justimon on the ground, slumped against the rock. "Die, insect!" he howled in triumph, preparing to strike.

"I don't think so!" Mega Gargomon called, his armor deeply pitted and smoking. Mugen Dramon's earlier assault had hurt, but he was able to recover. Twin trails of smoke rose from the back of Mega Gargomon's shoulders. "Gargo Missile!" With a loud roar, he launched his missiles, fins extending as they streaked towards Mugen Dramon.

Caught by surprise, Mugen Dramon turned, the missiles impacting one after the other into his side. He howled in pain, his ruined left arm spinning into the dirt. "Damn you! Infinite Cannon!"

Justimon groaned, the sound becoming a laugh as Mugen Dramon's cannons exploded on his back. When the expression on the dragon's face turned from anger to utter shock, Justimon taunted, "What did you think I was doing back there? A picnic?"

Blinded with anger, Mugen Dramon turned, about to try and finish Justimon off with his remaining arm. But, Mega Gargomon was quicker, rushing in and grabbing Mugen Dramon's head. "Take this!" Yelling, he slammed the dragon's head into the cliff, the gun barrels on his wrist spinning up to speed. "Rolling Thunder!" The sound of Mega Gargomon's gun barrels discharging one after the other was deafening, and a cloud of smoke and dust quickly rose.

Mugen Dramon's body slowly slumped to the ground but, as the smoke cleared, it was revealed that his head was no longer attached; Mega Gargomon was holding it in his hand. "Whew," Henry said, breathing a sigh of relief. He looked for a second at the rather grisly contents of his hand and tossed it to the ground with a grimace. Mugen Dramon's body quickly broke up into data and disappeared, his severed head and arm fading last. Mega Gargomon turned to look at the cliff face, noting that his attack had carved a massively deep hole in the stone. "That was one tough opponent..."

"I'll say," Terriermon agreed. "That last attack of his hurt so much, my ears are still numb!"

Glowing, Mega Gargomon split back into Henry and Terriermon, Justimon having already done so. Extending a hand, Henry helped Ryo to his feet. "Hey, great job back there," Henry complimented his friend.

"Thanks..." Ryo mumbled, brushing dirt from his clothes. "I'm just glad I was able to keep my head during the fight. C'mon, Monodramon, let's go back."

"Sure thing, boss!" Monodramon said brightly, falling in step behind them. "Hey, did you see? We kicked butt out there!"

Ryo gave a faint smile, patting his partner on the head. It was hard to tell from the way he acted as Monodramon that Cyberdramon was completely ruthless in battle. But, still, Ryo could feel the knot of anger deep within him, a spark that threatened everything around him if he wasn't careful. His one comfort was that being around friends helped him handle it. "Yeah, we sure did, buddy. We sure did..."

* * *

If Jeri heard the noises that swirled around her, her sleeping form gave no sign of it, her head cushioned by Takato's arm. In her dreams, she found herself back in time, to when she had said what had felt like one final goodbye to Takato. She found herself floating above the scene in the park, looking at all of the partners. The only ones absent were Rika and Renamon, but she had later learned that Renamon had left the night before

"I don't want to let you go," dream Jeri said, holding dream Takato's hands in her own, tears streaking down her face. "There has to be something we can do."

"I wish there was," Takato replied sadly, tears also streaming down his face. "But, all I can do is give you the same promise I made to Guilmon years ago. We will meet again, I promise you." Takato lifted his finger, wiping the tears from Jeri's eye, and bent in to kiss her softly on the lips.

The soft sound of a groan brought Jeri back to wakefulness, and she slowly lifted her head. On the bed, Takato began to move and his head turned towards Jeri, his eyes coming open. "Ohh," he said softly. "Good morning, Jeri..."


	23. Episode 23: Aftermath

"Takato!" Jeri cried out, throwing her arms around Takato's shoulders. "I was so worried..."

"Sorry, Jeri," Takato said sheepishly. He closed his eyes, absently stroking Jeri's hair. "I guess I overexerted myself out there. I didn't mean to make you worry like that."

"I know..." Jeri said wistfully. "You had to do it to protect everybody. That's... That's why I can't be selfish..."

"Oh, Jeri," Takato said quickly. "You have every right to be selfish! After everything you've been through both now and all those years ago..."

"Takato..."

"Master Takato!" Gotsumon called, looking into the room. "You're awake!"

Awkwardly, Jeri pulled away, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. Takato, too, looked uncomfortable, but he quickly put on a smile. "Ahh, yes. Tell me," he said, getting up and straightening his clothes. "What did I miss?"

* * *

Package in hand, Yamaki adjusted the hat of his acquired uniform and stepped through the doors leading into the university, trying his best to keep the Hypnos agents from recognizing his face. He stopped at the desk by the entrance, greeting the secretary there with a cheerful "Hello!"

"Oh, good afternoon, sir," the secretary replied, looking up at Yamaki and taking in his uniform. "Making a delivery? I heard that somebody new would be making the deliveries. You're him?"

"Ahh, no. I'm just a stand-in," Yamaki chuckled lightly. "The new guy is out today. Cold." Briefly, he showed his ID to the woman, hoping that she wouldn't take too close of a look to the picture. To his relief, she only took a brief glance.

"Thank you," the secretary smiled, waving Yamaki through. "Go on ahead."

Yamaki inclined his head politely before turning towards the elevator. As he walked, he passed by one of the agents and noticed the man looking at his face. Out of the corner of his eye, Yamaki looked back at him, triggering a spark of recognition. He was a good man, Yamaki had hired him personally.

"Excuse me," the agent said, walking up to Yamaki. "Your face looks familiar."

"Really?" Yamaki replied, putting on his best smile. "I get that a lot." Yamaki glanced quickly, checking where the other agent was. In a low voice so that only the other man could hear him, he added, "How's your daughter doing?"

The agent was taken aback for a second but replied in an equally low voice. "Ah, sir, she's fine..." Louder, "Right, my mistake."

With that obstacle crossed, Yamaki headed into the elevator, letting the doors close behind him before breathing a sigh of relief. He was in.

* * *

News of Takato's awakening spread quickly around the compound, and everybody was gathered in the meeting chamber. Rika entered the room with help from Renamon, who supported the side of her injured leg. Kenta, who had said that he was looking to become a doctor in the future, had cleaned and bandaged the wound, but it still ached. Likewise, Kazu's back had to be bandaged, though the injury wasn't as deep as Rika's. Henry and Ryo were sore from their battle, but they had gotten through without suffering any serious injuries.

"Good to see you up and about, Takato," Rika said, gingerly sitting in her chair. "Wish I could say the same about myself."

"And I wish that I could have helped all of you guys out," Takato said. "I can't believe that I slept through the whole thing. I should have been there." Though his face didn't show it, he sounded angry.

"There really wouldn't have been much you could have done," Henry replied thoughtfully. "They managed to do an excellent job of dividing our forces. Still, we managed to get through everything with minimum damage to the city and minimal casualties."

"Well, that is good," Takato conceded, settling back in his chair. "All right, let's hear from everybody what happened."

One by one, each fighter detailed their battles, Kazu frowning as he related how Black Were Garurumon had fought to the death. After Henry finished telling of the battle against Mugen Dramon, they pieced together what they had learned.

"So, Kurouji has been giving his troops D-Bands..." Henry frowned, steepling his fingers in concentration. "And, from the sound of it, Mugen Dramon was a General... As was Black War Greymon."

"I'm afraid it just gets worse," Takato said, leaning forward. "While I was... asleep... I received a message from the four Sovereign Digimon. They believe that this army is an even bigger threat to the Digital World than the D-Reaper."

"What?" Henry asked in shock. "Worse than the D-Reaper? How is that possible?"

"I'm not sure," Takato said, shaking his head. "They're worried about whoever is leading the army. All they know is that it's some sort of powerful dark force, but even they haven't been able to find out who, what, or where it is."

"Aren't the Sovereigns supposed to be the strongest Digimon around?" Rika asked.

"Actually, that's part of the problem. While I was out, they sent me a message. They told me that their powers have been severely weakened, probably because of the barrier between the worlds. I don't know how much help, if any, that they can provide us. We're going to have to fight alone."

"Hmmm," Henry said, deep in thought. "Well, regardless of the strength of our opponents, right now, they have the advantage. They know where we are, but we don't know where they are. So, logically, our first step would be to correct that."

"And what would be the best way to do that?" Takato asked.

"Well, we still have a lead that we weren't able to fully follow up on," Henry answered. "If you'll recall, we heard from those Greymon about the bounty on our heads."

Rika grumbled at the memory, but otherwise remained silent.

"When we went to explore the plane of the Digital World mentioned in the bounty, we ran into some... serious trouble: Black War Greymon. General Black War Greymon, if I interpret what Mugen Dramon said correctly. As a result, we were never able to fully explore the area."

This time it was Takato's turn to be uncomfortable as scattered memories of the fight returned to his mind.

"What I'm thinking is this. Right now, we are not even close to full strength. With the exclusion of Kenta and Suzie, everyone is weakened or injured. We all need time to recover, but time is of the essence. We managed to repel the initial attack on this city, but it won't be long before they regroup and make another attempt. So, while we recover, we also send out recon to find the base. Also, I'll get in contact with my father once again, and see if he's come up with anything."

"You've got this all planned out, don't you, Henry?" Rika asked with a raised eyebrow. She shrugged. "All right, who did you plan on going on this mission?"

"I'll go." All eyes in the room turned to face Renamon. "I'll go," she repeated.

"Wait just one second," Rika said, leaning forward in her chair. "You're hurt too!"

"True," Renamon agreed. "But I heal quickly. Besides, I'm probably the fastest one here. And I'll have a D-Band with me as well."

"Damn..." Rika sighed. She wasn't happy, but she agreed with Renamon. If anyone could do the job, it was Renamon. "Just be careful out there, okay? The D-Band has its limitations."

"Of course."

* * *

The first order of the night for the Tamers was to catch up on the rest they lost from being so rudely awakened in the middle of the night. Everyone, including the recently awoken Takato, settled back into their rooms to sleep. Kazu's back was still raw and sore from the wounds he had received while fighting as Valkyrimon, so he lay on his stomach in the room he shared with Kenta, memories of the fight still playing in his head. He sighed audibly.

"Kazu, buddy, what's wrong?" Guardromon asked with concern tingeing his voice. "Why has Black Were Garurumon's death gotten to you so much?"

"I really don't know," Kazu answered, laying his head on his pillow. "Maybe it's because Black Were Garurumon was the first Digimon I've had to kill. Really, he's only the third Digimon that I personally have fought. And then, after the incident with Ryo and Metal Tyrannomon..."

"Now, to be fair, it was not really Ryo's fault."

"I know that," Kazu said. He propped himself up on his elbows and turned to look at his partner. "I've known about Cyberdramon's violent side pretty much ever since I first met Ryo. Maybe... I'm afraid that I might end up enjoying killing too much. That maybe I'll be the reason we Biomerge to a dark form, like Revenmon."

"I have known you for quite some time," Guardromon reminded his partner. "I know that you are not the kind of man who takes pleasure from killing."

Kazu thought about that for several seconds, turning onto his side. "You're right, of course," he smiled faintly. "Let's just get some sleep, okay?"

"Good night, Kazu."

"Good night," Kazu mumbled, closing his eyes. Despite his words and his best efforts, the image of Black Were Garurumon's death played over and over in his head.

* * *

Janyuu looked up from the circuit board that he was working on, rubbing his sore eyes. Making a copy of the communications device that his son had created was proving to be more difficult than first suspected. While the technology itself wasn't anything extraordinary, figuring out exactly why it worked was the hardest part. What he did know was that it related to the icewall that had been set up between the two worlds, and that it somehow managed to exploit an incredibly obscure flaw in the seemingly impenetrable barrier.

It was so obscure that, had it not been for his long talk to Henry the other day, Janyuu and the rest of the Monster Makers would probably had never found out about it. As for why it existed in the first place, Janyuu took Henry's word for it when he said that it was intentionally placed there by Shibumi, the main coder for the icewall. Without being able to contact the ever elusive man, Janyuu had no way to know for sure.

"How's it going, Dolphin?" Janyuu turned to look at Rai Aishuwarya, better known as Curley, another Monster Maker. Having drawn the short straw, she had gone to get cups of coffee for the group. Janyuu accepted his mug with a grateful, yet weary, sigh.

"As well as could be expected," Janyuu replied, taking a long drink. "It's taken a couple of days, but we should have a second communicator ready soon. At the very least, it's let us get a bit more information about the flaw that the device exploits. Speaking of which... Dolphin, Babel, you guys having any luck?"

"Man, if it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't be having any at all," Babel sighed, not looking away from the computer screen. He scrolled through line after line of text, but with noticeably few results. With Henry's information, they had found the flaw, but exploiting and widening it took considerable more effort. "I'm having a hard time even understanding half of this stuff."

There was a knock at the door, everyone's heads turning towards the sound. "I'll get it," Janyuu sighed, standing up and crossing over to the door. He looked out, seeing a delivery man just outside the door. "Can I help you?" he asked, opening the door.

"I have a package," the man said with a faint smile. "I need a signature."

Janyuu looked at the box, reading the address. "I'm sorry, you want the room down the hall."

"Actually," the delivery man said, removing his hat to reveal a familiar blonde head. "This is exactly the right room."

"Yamaki?"


	24. Episode 24: Discovery and Recovery

"Yamaki?" Janyuu asked in surprise. He hadn't expected to see the former Hypnos agent after his disappearance. Quickly, Janyuu ushered him in, closing the door. "What happened to you? Why are you wearing that getup?"

"They've got a couple of Hypnos agents in the lobby downstairs," Yamaki explained. "Looking for me, I'd bet. I, ah, borrowed this uniform to get past them. As for what happened to me, it's a long story," Yamaki answered, greeting each member of the Monster Makers warmly. He looked around the room, his eyes finally falling on the communications device. "Is that what I think it is?" he asked, pointing.

Janyuu followed Yamaki's gaze to the table. "Yes," he answered. "It's a comm. device. Henry managed to hide it in his room so the Hypnos agents who cleaned the place out wouldn't find it."

"I take it you've been in contact with the Tamers, then?"

"Yes. They told us what they knew about what's happened. But, there are still a lot of questions that need to be asked."

"You got that right," Babel chipped in. "We don't know jack about this Ichiro Kurouji."

"I'll start at the beginning then," Yamaki said, pulling up a chair. The rest of the Monster Makers turned away from their projects to listen. "Ichiro Kurouji has been working for Hypnos for about ten years now. He was initially hired as a programmer, but he made his way up in the ranks, eventually becoming a supervisor directly under me. He was always very serious about his work, and was a consistently good supervisor.

"After what happened with Vikaralamon, when I was… fired, he stepped in to take over my position. He was one of the few who spoke out against the re-use of Juggernaut, but was ignored. When that backfired, I was given my job back, and the lead director who authorized the use of the program was removed from his position.

"I was offered the now vacant position, but I declined, and it ended up being given to Mr. Kurouji. When the time came to discuss sealing off the two worlds, he came out strongly in favor of the seal. Against the better judgment of me and several others on the board of directors, the seal was put in place.

"I thought that it was over but, while doing a routine check of the Hypnos servers, Riley came across some documents. They outlined a plan, which was called Prodigal Son, that involved using Takato and the other Tamers. As you know, the seal was designed by Shibumi with an intentional flaw, the details of which were given to Henry. Henry was the tool, the perfect choice to figure out how to take advantage of the flaw and bring Digimon back into the Real World. Military might is next to useless against Digimon, as only other Digimon and powerful programs such as Juggernaut can really defeat them. To put it simply, Kurouji would use Digimon as a nearly invincible weapon and grab power in the world.

"The rest you know. For years, Digimon compatriots of Kurouji have been building their strength preparing for the time when they would enter our world. The only ones who can stand up to them are the Tamers. I'm here because I need your help to help the Tamers."

"Whatever you need, we'll try to provide," Janyuu replied.

"I need access to a good computer," Yamaki said, standing up. "There's something I need to do."

"What do you need it for?" Dolphin asked.

Yamaki smiled as he gave his answer. "I'm going to hack into Hypnos."

* * *

"Renamon," Rika said, seeing her partner off. "Be careful out there. You never know what could be waiting for you out there."

"I know," Renamon smiled, leaning forward to kiss Rika on the mouth. "Don't worry." With that she was off, leaving Rika to watch until she faded from sight.

It wasn't that Rika didn't trust Renamon to take care of herself, she just didn't want to have to lose her again. If it hadn't been for her leg, she would have gone with Renamon, but as it was, she was stuck waiting. If there was one thing Rika hated more than anything else, it was the feeling of being useless and, with her leg injured like it was, that feeling was paramount in her mind. With nothing else to do, Rika turned, the movement made awkward by the makeshift crutch she was using, and began to head to the courtyard.

"Ah, Rika," Henry said, rounding a corner in front of Rika. "You're just the person that I was looking for. I need your help with something."

"As long as it doesn't involve heavy lifting," Rika smiled wryly. "What do you need?"

"Actually," Henry answered, "and this is going to sound weird… I need you for an experiment."

* * *

"How exactly do you plan on pulling this off?" Janyuu asked, looking over Yamaki's shoulder at the computer the former Hypnos agent was using. "It's not exactly going to be an easy thing, hacking into Hypnos."

"No kidding," Babel added. "We're talking high end, top of the line security measures. It's a hacker's worst nightmare."

Yamaki's fingers fairly flew across the keyboard as he worked. "Yes, but what you forget is that I designed most of the systems in use. I made sure to leave several back doors as… insurance, for something like this happening. At least a few of them should still be open."

"All right," Dolphin said, crossing his arms. "Supposing we do get in, what kind of information do you think we could find?"

"According to Henry," Janyuu answered, "what they really need are locations in the Digital World. A base, or an outpost, or anything like that."

"I'll see what I can do," Yamaki nodded, not taking his eyes from the screen.

* * *

Shibumi sat at his desk inside the Hypnos building, reviewing the continuing progress of Operation Prodigal Son. The Tamers were still very much a thorn in Kurouji's side and, from the reports, they had only added to their strength. They had reunited with Ryo Akiyama, Kazu Shiota and his partner had reached Mega, and above all, Gallantmon had once again accessed the power Grani had given him, allowing the transformation to what had become known as Crimson Mode.

At this, Shibumi smiled. While Kurouji's plan was achieving only partial success, Shibumi's own plan was progressing quite nicely. But still, there was something that was bothering him; something felt very out of place. He had an idea of what it was, but he didn't really have any proof.

Shibumi's thoughts were interrupted by a loud knock on the door to his office. Irritably, Shibumi closed the reports file, calling out, "Come in." The door opened, letting in an agent, looking slightly nervous. "Yes, what is it?"

"Sir," the agent said, snapping into a salute. "We've received word from the network administrators that there has been an unauthorized access into the system. So far, all attempts to stop it have failed."

"All right," Shibumi nodded. "Tell them that I'll take care of it."

"Sir!" Giving another salute, the agent quickly left, closing the door behind him.

"So, someone's accessing the system…" Shibumi said to himself thoughtfully, turning back to his computer. Typing in several commands, Shibumi brought up a screen showing the progress of the intruder. Much to Shibumi's surprise, the hacker was making considerable progress, somehow bypassing most of the security. He had to give the person credit, they really knew their way around.

"Wait a second…" Shibumi muttered, looking closer. The degree of skill that the hacker possessed was almost impossible, unless they were extremely familiar with the systems. Shibumi knew only one person who had such a degree of familiarity. "Well, well, Yamaki…"

Shibumi knew that the man was smart, but he hadn't known the full degree of his skills. Still, admiration or no, he had to put a stop to the access. If Yamaki got too much information, things would move much faster than Shibumi had planned, which could be disastrous. Whatever he did, it would have to be quick.

* * *

Renamon leapt quickly across the vast plains of the Digital World, landing briefly on a large outcropping of rock. Her mission was simple enough but, as Rika had said, she had no idea what would be waiting for her. She scanned the horizon, searching for the Data Stream that Henry had calculated would bring her to her destination. Finally, she spotted the Stream in the distance and raced towards it, mentally bracing herself for anything.

She entered the Data Stream, the familiar sensation of teleporting once again assaulting her body, breaking it up and reassembling it. Renamon landed in a crouch, quickly surveying her landing spot. The scenery was very familiar; Renamon recognized it as the same plane where they had fought Black War Greymon. The only thing left to do was scout around the area.

Renamon pushed a button on the device on her wrist, a D-Band, feeling power flow through her body, enhancing her muscles and sharpening her reflexes. She crouched briefly and was off, her card-enhanced speed allowing her to cover ground quickly. Her first destination was the site of the battle, and from there she would begin her search.

Renamon was easily able to identify the former battleground, a large area of scorched and pitted ground, feeling the power of the card dissipate as she reached it. She paused briefly, marveling over the amount of damage inflicted on the ground, before looking for some sort of clue. As Renamon reached what appeared to be the furthest edge of the damaged area, she felt a sudden chill over her entire body. She leapt up into the air just as ice crystals covered the ground where she had just stood. She traced a wide fan of crystals back to the source, a blue ogre-like Digimon.

"Supreme King Fist!" Sensing another incoming attack, Renamon twisted out of the way just as a burst of black energy streaked towards her, launched by a green ogre-like Digimon. "Evil Hurricane!" Renamon wasn't quite as lucky with a third attack, a tornado of swirling dust catching her and flinging her to the ground.

"Gotcha!" a third, orange ogre-like Digimon cheered. "Still, two out of three wasn't bad." He stepped forward, tapping a large club on the palm of his hand.

Renamon quickly sprang to her feet, sore and bruised, but otherwise undamaged. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"So glad you asked!" the blue one laughed. "You can call me Hyogamon!"

"The name's Fuugamon!" the orange one added.

"And I'm Ogremon," the last, green, one said. "Together we are…"

"The Ogre Brothers!" They said in unison.

"Am I supposed to be impressed?" Renamon said with a slight sneer. Despite her bravado, she hadn't been expected to get into a fight so early, and especially against three powerful Champion level Digimon.

"Doesn't matter," Fuugamon shrugged. "All that matters is that we capture you, and receive our bounty."

"Bounty hunters," Renamon sighed. "How'd you know I was going to be here, anyway?"

"Come now," Ogremon laughed. "A good bounty hunter never reveals their source. But that's not important right now. The time for talking is over!"

"I agree," Renamon said, reaching once again to her wrist. "Let's go!"

* * *

Under the sheet, Rika lay back on the bed, her injured leg exposed. "I'm still not entirely sure about this, Henry." When Henry first suggested his plan to use a Dust Packet on her injury, it sounded very strange, but she had agreed, curious to see if it would work. Still, she had some doubts. "Are you sure this is going to work?"

"By all logic, it should work," Henry answered, knowing that his answer wasn't exactly reassuring. "But, the worst thing that happens is that it doesn't work at all. So, there's nothing to lose."

"All right," Rika sighed. "Let's get this over with."

"Sure," Henry nodded, using a pair of tongs to pick up a Dust Packet. "Now, Rika, the most important thing is that you believe it will work. Also… this might sting a little."

"Now you tell me…" Rika grumbled. "Okay." She closed her eyes, repeating to herself over and over that her leg was going to be healed. Henry wasn't completely accurate, as it stung more than just a little. She inhaled sharply at the pain, and looked down to see the Dust Packet dissolve. At the same time, before her eyes, the wound on her leg began to close and then disappear completely, not even leaving a scar. "How the…?"

"Yes!" Henry laughed, pumping his fist. "I knew it would work!"

"All right, but how?"

"Well, it's like this," Henry said, sitting on the edge of a nearby bed. "You see, here in the Digital World we don't have a flesh and blood body like we do in the Real World. What we are over here is a representation of our physical body composed of data. That form, the one we're in right now, is controlled by our minds and wills. When you were hit by Knightmon's sword, your brain decided the type and extent of the injury and that, in turn, was represented in your data form."

"So, what you're saying is… I thought I was injured… so I was?"

"The human mind is a peculiar thing," Henry nodded. "Since the brain controls pretty much all of the functions of the human body, whatever the brain believes is the truth. If our brain gets a signal that we're unable to breath, we can't, even if there's no real problem. Also, the brain, especially in children, is incredibly adaptable. Our brains were able to adapt to the need to regulate our human forms here in the Digital World, and representing physical damage stemmed from that."

"If I follow what you're saying," Rika said, "and I think I do, if we believe that we won't get hurt… we won't?"

Henry thought about that for a few seconds, trying to figure out how to formulate his response. Finally, he told Rika, "Theoretically, yes. Say, for example, that I told you I was going to jab you with a pin. This gives you enough time to believe strongly enough that doing so won't cause any pain, that it won't even pierce the skin. But, if I just do it without giving you a warning, there's nothing you can do."

"I see," Rika nodded. "No matter how much we think so, we're not immortal by any stretch of the means. One thing though. If it's all controlled by our brains, why is the Dust Packet necessary?"

"It helps if you think of our bodies as files on a computer. Basically, when we get hurt, it's like the file gets corrupted, and something extra is needed to repair the damage. The Dust Packet serves that purpose."

"I suppose that makes sense," Rika said with a dry chuckle. She stood up, the sheet still wrapped around her waist, and gingerly put weight on her formerly injured leg. As she might have figured, there wasn't even a twinge of pain. "That's better," she smiled, grabbing her pants.

Henry turned away as Rika got fully dressed once again and said, over his shoulder, "If you see Kazu, tell him I'd like to see him."

"Sure thing."

* * *

"Damn," Yamaki cursed, typing frantically. "They've found my intrusion."

"Worse than that," Dolphin told the former agent. "They've launched a worm. We need to cut off our connection in the next forty-five seconds, or it could infect our system."

"Right," Yamaki nodded. "Give me a countdown." He was so close, he could almost taste it, but he still had to get through the final layer of protection.

"Forty seconds."

"I'm in!" Yamaki said, not sparing a second for gloating. "There's a lot of data in here, but I'll get all of it I can." He typed in a quick command, beginning the download.

"Thirty seconds."

Yamaki watched, literally at the edge of his seat as he watched the download bar increase. Five percent, seven, ten…

"Hurry, only ten seconds left to total system collapse! Nine… Eight… Seven…"

Yamaki cursed softly, watching the bar creep towards twenty percent, counting off the seconds in his head. At two seconds left, he had to cut it off now or never. "Closing connection… Now!" The words 'Connection Cancelled' appeared on the screen, the download bar stuck at only nineteen percent. Yamaki saved what he could to a file, slumping back in his chair. "That… was a bit too close for comfort."

"Still," Janyuu said, bringing up what they had downloaded, "it wasn't a complete bust. Let's see what we got…"


	25. Episode 25: A Lonely Battle

Author's Note:

Yes, an honest-to-goodness Author's Note. First time for everything. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of my loyal readers. Just know that I've never abandoned this project. Periods of writer's block were followed quickly by writer's apathy as well as the pull of other projects. (Crossovers, Parodies, and Original Fiction, oh my. All in various states of undone-ness.)

Well, I'm back in the game as of now, so look forward to it! Think I should start writing more notes like this? Questions, comments, suggestions? Words of praise, threats to kick my if I don't start updating more than once in a blue moon? Monetary donations for the "Buy Buretsu a New Internet Computer" Fund? I'm just an e-mail away at buretsufastmail.us.

And I'm just kidding about the money. Mostly.

"Let's go!" Renamon said, reaching once again to the D-Band on her wrist and pressing a button. A shiver ran through her body as the effects of the Hyper Speed card took effect. In a blur of movement, she seemed to vanish, appearing directly in front of a surprised Ogremon and launching a blistering flurry of punches.

Growling, Ogremon raised his arms to block, absorbing most of the damage, but he was unable to block a punch directly to his gut. With a loud "Oof," he doubled over in pain and Renamon flipped over him to take his back. Renamon spun into a kick, the back of her foot connecting with the side of Ogremon's head, sending him flying to the ground. As a finisher, Renamon leapt backwards into the air, charging up her special attack. "Diamond…"

"Evil Hurricane!" Before Renamon could finish her attack, she was caught in a tornado of dust whipped up by Fuugamon. She curled up, protecting herself from the worst of the buffeting, but Fuugamon jumped into the air above his attack. "Take this! Heavy Swing!" Fuugamon's club glowed with energy and he brought it down, connecting solidly with Renamon.

With a loud cry of pain, Renamon crashed into the ground, the wind completely knocked out of her. "Ice Club!" Renamon cursed as Hyogamon launched his attack, a series of ice spikes thrusting up from the ground. She was barely able to get to her feet and avoid the attack, but the next attack caught her by surprise. "Supreme King Fist!" Caught in a vulnerable position, Renamon was unable to avoid the attack, taking the dark energy directly on her chest, and fell backwards, landing in a heap on the ground.

Shibumi sighed, leaning back in his chair. The Tracker Worm had done its job, cutting off Yamaki's intrusion at the source, but he had still managed to download some information. Typing quickly, he brought up a list of files, including the last access date for each one. The time stamp on three files corresponded with the intrusion, which most likely meant that they had been the ones downloaded.

The first two were unimportant; they were personnel files, sensitive to be sure, but nowhere near vital. It was the third file that gave Shibumi pause. He brought it up on his system, reviewing the contents. It contained several reports on the progress of D-Band construction, including a location in the Digital World. Fortunately, it was heavily encrypted, and Shibumi had personally ensured that the security keys had been changed shortly after Yamaki left. Still, as he had just witnessed, the man was far more resourceful than he had thought…

Briefly, Shibumi cursed himself for underestimating Yamaki. He had prepared for the former Hypnos agent's interference, and assigned agents to locations he figured Yamaki would go to. If he had known Yamaki had a way to access the Hypnos computers, Shibumi would have set agents to watch the house he knew Yamaki was staying in addition to the ones in places he expected the man to go. But, what was done is done, and Shibumi knew he would have to figure out his next step quickly.

If… when the information got to the Tamers, Shibumi knew that they couldn't be stopped from following through. He would have to have his own backup plans at the ready, even if it meant moving faster than he liked.

Rika walked through the halls of the mansion, still getting used to the fact that her leg was as good as new, and, in fact, had to mentally restrain herself from limping a couple of times. She walked with a purpose, trying to locate Kazu so, she assumed, he could go and get treated by Henry for his back wounds. As nobody had seen him since the last night, she figured the best place was his room.

The door was closed, so Rika walked up and knocked. "Yo, Kazu," she called, "you in there?"

"Rika?" came the answer after a few moments of silence. "Yeah. Come on in."

Rika opened the door and caught sight of Kazu's heavily bandaged back just as he was putting on a shirt. "What's up? Nobody's seen you since last night."

Looking up at Rika, Kazu replied, "I could ask you the same thing. What's up with your leg?"

"Actually, that's what I came here for. It's all thanks to Henry. I'm not one-hundred percent how it works, but he used a Dust Packet and now my leg's better than ever. Should work on your back, too."

"My back… right," Kazu nodded. "I still can't get that battle out of my mind. It could have ended differently, it should have."

"You're absolutely right," Rika answered. "It could have. You could have been the one killed. From what you've told us, it sounds like Black Were Garurumon wouldn't let it end any other way."

"Still… It was the first time… The first time I've killed anything bigger than an insect."

"I see…" Rika frowned, leaning against the door jam. "Well, it never gets easy. A long time ago, I didn't feel anything when I ordered Renamon to finish off the Digimon that we fought. Then, all I cared about was getting stronger, but since then I realized something. If I hadn't done something, there was a good chance that innocent people would have gotten hurt. I don't think any of us really enjoy killing, but I think we realize that sometimes it's a necessary evil."

Before Kazu could respond, Rika let out a loud grunt of pain and doubled over, clutching her stomach, before falling to the ground. "Oh my god!" Kazu yelled, rushing over to check on the girl. "Somebody!" he called out the door. "Find Henry!" To Rika, "What happened? What's wrong?"

"It… it's Renamon," Rika managed to grunt through the pain. "She… she's in trouble." Grasping the doorjamb firmly with one hand, Rika attempted to stand up, wincing as fresh pain shot through her body. "I've got to… help her…"

"You're not going anywhere!" Kazu said, restraining the struggling Rika. "Henry, where are you?"

Renamon struggled to her feet, pain wracking her body from taking Ogremon's attack head on. Individually, she would probably be able to be a match for any of her three opponents but, together, their strength surpassed hers. Strategies for fighting multiple opponents ran through her mind, but she just as quickly dismissed most of them. Her attempt to focus on one had failed, and she doubted she could turn them against each other, so it came down to power.

"Still standing, eh?" Fuugamon laughed. "At least you're not going to be a disappointment."

"Try not to have too much fun," Ogremon reminded his partner. "We need to finish this soon. You never know when her friends might show up to help."

"Right, right," Hyogamon nodded, hefting his ice club to his shoulder. "Well then, let's get this over with!"

"My thoughts exactly," Renamon smirked, reaching to her D-Band. "Activate! Digivolution!" She pressed a button and the D-Band emitted a bright light, forming into an egg around Renamon's body. "Renamon digivolve to… Kyubimon!"

As the egg dissolved in a flash of fire, Kyubimon took action, spreading her tails in a fan behind her. "Fox Tail Inferno!" Nine fireballs sprang from the tips of her tails, forming an arch above Hyogamon, enveloping him in blue flame. Following up, Kyubimon leapt into the air, curling into a ball of fire. "Dragon Wheel!" A dragon of blue flame spun out from the ball, joining her previous attack in assaulting Hyogamon.

"Damn it! Evil Hurricane!" Fuugamon shouted, swinging his club and whipping up a tornado. Instead of sending it at Kyubimon, he sent it towards his partner, Hyogamon, the winds drawing away the fire and dissipating it. Still, the combination of attacks had done its damage and Hyogamon collapsed to his knees, smoke rising off his body.

Growling, Ogremon and Fuugamon looked around, trying to catch sight of Kyubimon. Catching a brief glimpse of a yellow blur, Ogremon called out to his partner. "Look out!"

The warning came just in time for Fuugamon. He dodged to his left just as Kyubimon leapt at his back, claws fully extended. Still, she caught him a glancing blow on the side, leaving three streaks which quickly burst into ghostly flame. As Fuugamon clutched a hand to his side, Kyubimon landed with a quick turn, trying to continue her string of attacks.

"Supreme King Fist!" Dodging a blast of dark energy from Ogremon put that thought out of her head, and brought her back to the defensive.

"Take this!" Too late, Kyubimon remembered that Hyogamon had not been defeated yet, a fact which hit her painfully. "Ice Club!"

"Th- there's no time to explain," Rika said through gritted teeth as her partner's pain shot through her own body. "Renamon's in trouble and I need to help her."

"But you don't even know where she is!" Kazu retorted, still trying to contain Rika. "Not exactly, anyway. Even if you did, it would take too long for you to get there. Henry and Mega Gargomon will be able to get there faster than you can."

"Renamon's my partner," Rika shot back. "If anyone's going to help her, it's me."

"All right then, have Henry take you."

"There's no time," Rika replied. "I have a plan. I just… need a D-Band. Let me borrow yours."

"What are you going to do?"

"Just give me your D-Band!" Rika regretted raising her voice as soon as she had done it, thanks to the accompanying increase in pain.

Kazu paused for a second, weighing his options. His mind finally made up, Kazu nodded. "All right…" He crossed over to the small dresser with his stuff and pulled out the D-Band he had been given. "Take it and go. But, as soon as Henry gets here, I'm sending out there too."

"Fine," Rika grunted, strapping on the D-Band. 'Let's just hope this works,' she said to herself. Reaching to the card pack on her hip, she pulled out a card and positioned it at the slot of the D-Band. "Self modify! Hyper Speed activate!" A shiver ran through Rika's body as the card activated, and, all of a sudden, everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. Kazu was in mid blink, and even that took several seconds to complete. Nodding to herself, Rika dashed out the door. To her, it felt as if she was moving normally, but she felt the pain more acutely.

There was no use dwelling on that fact; it just emphasized her need to hurry. "I'm coming, Renamon. Hang in there."

Yamaki sat forward in his chair, thumbing his way through the data they had managed to get, much of which was heavily encoded. "There's… a lot of crap here. Break schedules, lunch menus, personal memos… Huh. I never knew she was pregnant…"

"Is there anything we can use?" Babel asked with some impatience.

"Do you have a program handy than can decode 28-bit encryption? My key is almost guaranteed not to work, but maybe we'll get lucky…"

"You ask me, we were lucky to get what we did," Janyuu said, shaking his head. "It's going to take me a week to restore the system to normal and remove all traces of the tracker worm."

"If we can find something, it'll be worth it," Yamaki frowned. "Cross your fingers, I'm entering my key…"

Several moments of tense silence followed, as the computer ran the necessary calculations and operations. All anybody could do was twiddle their thumbs as the data compiled. After thirty seconds, which felt like an eternity to everybody in the room, the computer announced that it was finished.

"Jackpot?" Yamaki hoped, bringing the newly decoded information onto the screen. "Or maybe not…"

Jumbled characters filled the screen, barely recognizable as words. "D-Band… schedule… inspection…" Janyuu read, picking out what little was legible. "Wait… Don't these look like… coordinates?" He pointed to a set of numbers standing out near the middle of the file.

"I think you're right," Daisy nodded. "Do you think it's latitude and longitude?"

Calling up a map program on another computer, Curly entered in the coordinates found. "Not unless Hypnos built a secret base in the middle of Siberia…"

"They must be Digital World coordinates, then," Yamaki surmised. "If so, this could be just the break that we were looking for. We need to get this info to the Tamers as soon as we can."

Before she could react, Kyubimon felt Hyogamon's icicle club impact on her right front shoulder. The leg buckled and Kyubimon collapsed, her entire leg frozen solid. Not giving up, Kyubimon rolled to her feet, favoring the impaired leg.

"You can still move, I see," Hyogamon groaned with pain and exertion. "But, a couple more hits like that should stop you."

"We'll see," Kyubimon growled, spreading her tails in a fan. "Fox Tail Inferno!"

"That won't work!" Hyogamon gloated. "Frozen Wind!" A blast of ice erupted from Hyogamon's palm, washing over the fireballs and freezing them in mid-air. "You'll have to… huh?"

Only six of the fireballs had been launched at Hyogamon. The other three enveloped Kyubimon's frozen leg, rapidly melting the ice. "I see," Ogremon nodded. "Pretty smart, melting the ice like that. But, don't underestimate the power of my brother's ice. You may have freed your leg, but it's still going to be numb for quite some time."

"I'm never going to give up."

"Do you honestly think you can win?" Ogremon replied. "You've slowed down considerably, and it's still three…" He looked at his brother, Hyogamon, who was still breathing hard. "Two-and-a-half on one."

"Honestly, I know that I can't win…"

"Good, then let's-" Ogremon began to say.

"Yet," Kyubimon finished. "I can't win, yet. It's only a matter of time, though."

"In that case," Fuugamon shouted, "let's get this over with!"

"Right!"

Kazu blinked in surprise as Rika was literally there one second and gone the next. He wasn't exactly sure what would happen when he saw Rika swiping the card, but he guessed that it had worked. Shaking off his surprise, Kazu dashed out the door in a rapid search for Henry.

"Kazu!" Henry called from down the hall. He was being led by Gotsumon, who had apparently heard Kazu's earlier call. "What's wrong?"

Kazu slid to a halt and proceeded to tell Henry everything that had happened, about her sudden pain and subsequent borrowing and using of the D-Band.

"She used the D-Band?" Henry said, incredulously. "That crazy… Even I have no idea of what would happen if a human used a D-Band."

"What's the worst that could happen?" Kazu asked, genuinely curious.

"Well, without exact knowledge of how it works, I can only assume that using the card increases the metabolic rate, increasing the amount of power sent to the muscles. That would put tremendous strain on the muscles, including the heart. Using it this once could even have shaved years off of her life!"

"Really?"

"Worst case scenario, but yes! Damn, I need to go after her!" With that, Henry took off at a sprint down the hall.

"Rika…"


End file.
